


I've Never Felt So At Home

by CuriousVillager



Series: Two Gentlemen In Love [1]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Adult Luke Triton, Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, Explicit Consent, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, Some angst but mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-09-17 13:50:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 24,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9327533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CuriousVillager/pseuds/CuriousVillager
Summary: "Time together isn't never quite enoughWhen you and I are alone, I've never felt so at homeWhat will it take to make or break this hint of love?Only time, only time"- The Saltwater Room by Owl CityIt’s been twelve years since the Triton family moved away from London and, over time, Hershel and Luke don’t get to see each other as much as they used to. Amid their busy lives, they decide that a vacation to the beach is in order. While relaxing and reminiscing about their friendship and past travels, neither of them could have anticipated the new adventure they are about to embark on together.





	1. Chapter 1

“Hello, Hershel Layton speaking.”

“Hey, professor! It’s Luke. Got a second?”

Hershel instantly smiled at hearing the familiar voice over the telephone; through the years, Luke had picked up an American accent, though Hershel could still hear the cockney sound in it.

“Of course, I have! I was just tidying up my office.”

“ _You_ , tidying up? Really?”

“Yes, Luke, I am perfectly capable of cleaning my own office.” He placed a precarious stack of papers on a shelf and sat down at his desk. “Well… when the mood strikes.”

“Ha-ha! Whatever you say. So… Easter Break for Gressenheller is coming up in April, right? Have any plans during your time off?

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll have too much excitement apart from making my lesson plans for summer term. Why do you ask?”

“Well, my parents have a small beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, near where the Wright Brothers had their first flight and where the Lost Colony was.”

“My, what a historical place!”

“Yeah, it really is! We’ve gone there at least once a year ever since we moved to America. Would… you want to take a trip there when you have some free time, maybe for a week or so?”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea! After all these years as friends, I never have done much traveling with your family; Clark and I went on a ski trip one year back when we were students, but it didn’t end too well.”

“Ha-ha, yeah, I remember that story. Dad fractured an arm, right?”

“He did. He can laugh about it now, but only because it was over two decades ago.”

“Anyway… I was actually thinking about just the two of us going. Mum and Dad said they’re going to be busy with some special events at the museum for the next month or so, but they suggested that you and I should go together… if you have the time, that is.”

Hershel smiled. “Ah, I see. Well, that would be wonderful, as well!”

“Heh, yeah, I think so, too. Nearly all of our adventures have involved some kind of peril at one point or another and we’re usually rushing around, trying to find clues, and save lives and all that. It’d be nice to go on a safe, laid-back adventure for a change!”

“I couldn’t agree more. I believe our least life-threatening adventure was in St. Mystere, but even so, there was that Ferris wheel chase.”

“Don’t forget Paul’s attack on the tower with his flying machine!”

“Oh, indeed. That made me especially nervous since we had Flora to protect, not just ourselves. I’m looking at my calendar… let’s see… is there a certain timeframe you are thinking about?”

“You'll have most of the month off, right? Maybe at the start of the holiday so that you’ll have plenty of time to get your work done before classes start back up.”

“Hmm… yes, that should work. What say we arrive on 29 March and stay for the first week of April? Or did you say just a few days?”

“We could do a full week if you want! I wasn’t sure how flexible your schedule was. I’m pretty sure I can get a week away from residency, if I plan things out far enough; I have some vacation days saved up.”

“A week away would certainly be pleasant.”

“Yeah, especially since you’ll have to get used to the five-hour time change when you arrive in North Carolina.”

“Very true. I’m quite used to international travel, so hopefully I’ll be able to adjust to the time zone within the first two or three days. In that case, I’ll book my flight later today and call you with the details so you’ll know what time to pick me up and at which gate.”

“Yeah, same here. It’d be great if you could find a flight to the Raleigh-Durham Airport; it’s the closest international airport to the Outer Banks. That’s where I’ll fly into from New York; the first one to arrive can meet the other at his gate, then we can rent a car, and drive to the Outer Banks from there; it’s only four hours away.”

“Wonderful!”

“Mm-hmm. I’m really looking forward to this, professor.”

“As am I. I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

“Yeah! Have a great day! Bye!”

Fifteen minutes after hanging up his office telephone, Hershel was still smiling from the conversation. He and Luke had not seen each other in four years, Luke’s graduation from Cornell University in New York being their last reunion. Those four years were the longest they had ever been apart, ever since becoming friends in Misthallery fifteen years ago. Hershel fully intended to keep the promise he had given Luke in “Future London,” that the Triton family’s move overseas wouldn’t be the end of their friendship. Distance and time apart were not going to change their bond.

Time was not on their side, however. Luke graduated from university and began his three-year-long veterinary residency; Hershel was appointed chairman of Gressenheller University’s archeology department when Schrader retired and his classes were as popular as ever. Keeping in contact was harder as they grew busier. Telephone calls became weeks apart; letters were less frequent and shorter in length. He simply missed his “number one” apprentice. After three years with Luke nearly always at his side, Hershel was now all too aware of the silence in his office. So, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to spend some quality time with Luke – and on a vacation, no less!

~~~

Luke, meanwhile, got into bed. It was 2:00 a.m. there in New York; he had been up all night reviewing his residency notes when he realized that it was 7:00 a.m. in London; Luke had memorized the professor’s lecture schedule for the semester (an old habit of his), so he had figured it would be a good time to call the professor before he got too busy. Falling backwards onto his pillow, Luke couldn’t stop smiling, either, and sleep finally overcame him half an hour later.

~~~

Both men requested the first week of April off work for vacation. They made several calls back and forth, planning on what to pack and what would be purchased once they arrived. The month seemed to crawl by, as time often does when one is looking forward to something. And they both certainly were.


	2. Chapter 2

March 29 finally came. Luke got up at half past 5 that morning after a fitful night of sleep. He planned to leave his apartment at 8:30 a.m. for his 11 a.m. flight; they were to meet at the professor’s gate when he landed that evening in Raleigh.

So, since he had some extra time before he would need to launch into action, Luke sat in his armchair with one of his childhood journals to reminisce for a while, in honor of the special day. While he had been writing this particular journal, he had forgotten to include the year in the dates on many of the entries, but he figured the journal was mostly written when he was about 13, the year he moved to the United States. He skimmed the pages filled with his painstakingly neat yet still childish handwriting, chuckling to himself here and there. The cases he had written about were some of their most exciting ones – the trips to Folsense and “Future London,” among a few others – and he smiled, remembering the events as if they had happened only a few days, not twelve years, ago. He smiled at the little details he had included, such as comprehensive records for Macaroon’s hamster and notes about various townsfolk. There had been some things he had misunderstood, such as the political aspects of the time-traveling case, but he was surprised at some of his childish insights.

Luke’s smile faded a bit when he got to the entry he had written on the ship headed to America with his parents, right after saying goodbye to the professor. The sadness of that farewell twisted in his stomach afresh as he read; tears pricked in his eyes. _But I’m seeing him today_ , he told himself, _and then after this week… maybe we won’t have to say goodbye again for a long time…_ All of thoughts of his future were put aside when he reached the end of that particular entry: “I wish that hug didn’t have to end. I miss his smile, and his laugh. I miss him so much.” Though rather simplistic, Luke’s childhood words spoke volumes to him. _Oh… I forgot_ , he thought as he reread the entry, _My crush on the professor started that year._

Luke had dated through high school and university – two girls and a boy – though he never found anyone he really connected with, which made for mostly short-lived relationships. He had grown used to being single and it had been never a big deal to him that his friends had significant others most of the time.

Later in his teen years, he had realized that his childhood crush on the professor had developed into something more. Luke had fallen in love with him. For nearly half of his life, he had looked up to the professor, considered him a mentor, and relied on him for wisdom, guidance, and, more than a few times, his own safety. He had placed his trust in him soon after making his acquaintance in Misthallery and started to think of him a friend once he and his family moved back to London a few months later. Luke had considered him a close friend by the time they went to Monte d’Or. The bond they had formed on their travels was the seed of his deeper feelings; quiet days spent in the professor’s office, running errands in the Laytonmobile, sitting around the Triton dinner table when the professor came over for supper... simple, everyday activities together like those had only solidified that bond. Furthermore, Luke had always thought the professor was quite handsome. He figured he would grow out of the crush with time; he would have to.

Luke’s thoughts returned to the present moment when his alarm clock went off. It was nearly 6:15 a.m. already. _Only fifteen more hours…_ he thought, stomach turning in anticipation as he got up and put his journal away.


	3. Chapter 3

Hershel’s flight departed at 3:30 a.m. BST on March 30 to arrive around 8:30 p.m. EST on March 29; flights like these always managed to mess with his mind, not least because he was one of the few people to know that time travel actually existed outside of science fiction. _Best catch a few hours of sleep before landing in Raleigh,_ he thought, tipping the brim of his hat over his eyes.

He woke with a start what felt like only minutes later – he had always slept easily on planes – when his neighbor, a man in a suit, elbowed him.

“Hey, we’re landing.”

Hershel sat up straight, adjusting his hat. “Thank you, good sir. I appear to have slept through the pilot’s announcements.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” the businessman said briskly, folding his newspaper.

Seeing as the man did not seem eager to strike up a conversation in their final minutes together, Hershel looked out his window. The plane was slowly descending upon the bustling city below. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he observed the complex traffic flow, busier than an ant hill, of the surrounding city.

It wasn’t long before his thoughts returned to the dream he had had during the flight. He didn’t recall many details about it, but he knew for certain that Luke had been present. They had been sitting on the sofa of his office, where they had shared countless conversations and cups of tea in years past. The dream had portrayed Luke at his current age of 24, based on how he looked in the Tritons’ yearly Christmas cards and a photo taken on his first day of his veterinary residency two years previous. In his dream, there had been the unmistakable feeling of warmth and familiarity that they always felt while together from their many years of friendship. As he tried to summon up more details, Hershel realized all he could remember clearly was Luke’s dark brown eyes and the way they would change as he listened in his intent way, or had new ideas, or was thinking through a puzzle, or right before he threw back his head in laughter.

Hershel had realized his deeper feelings for Luke three years ago. He had just hung up the telephone after an hour and a half long conversation with Luke, discussing, among other things, the stresses of postgraduate life and all the ins and outs of young adulthood. While Luke felt comfortable asking his parents for advice, he often turned to Hershel, too, just for another opinion and perspective and to keep him involved in his life. Luke had apologized for keeping him up so late (it was nearly midnight in England), but Hershel told him not to worry and reminded him that he was always there for Luke, no matter what.

“I know…” Luke had replied, almost wistfully. “You’re the best, professor. Really, you’re a true friend. I… um… well, I hope you sleep well.”

After hanging up, Hershel’s eyes had landed on a picture of Luke and himself on his wall, taken during the Tritons’ last visit to London; they had been standing in front of the Laytonmobile, their chariot through so many adventures together. As he reflected on the memory of that night while he sat there in the airplane, Hershel could plainly feel again the realization don on him, the flare in his chest, a shortness of breath, that he hadn’t felt in so long. Not since Claire, and Randall before her: feelings that went beyond strictly platonic affection. Ever since then, though, he had suppressed it; not only were they thousands of miles apart, but the chances of Hershel’s feelings being reciprocated were too slim to even consider.

As the plane finally touched down and slowed to a stop, Hershel watched the white lines on the runway become less of a blur, still deep in thought. _Luke sees me as his mentor and friend, nothing more. I’ll be content with that._


	4. Chapter 4

Luke stood in the pick-up line and fiddled restlessly with his newsboy cap. He had been nervous for the last 24 hours or so – stressing over waking up on time, making it to his flight, finding the professor’s gate early enough to see him arrive – but he was only now taking out his nerves on his hat, clutching it in his hands. He knew it wasn’t a very gentlemanly thing to do, but it seemed somewhat therapeutic. It was fairly new – his favorite shade of blue but with a smaller brim than the hat of his childhood – so he tried to not bend it too much.

_I can’t believe I’m going to see him again. It feels like we’ve been apart for ages._

The professor’s flight was announced right on time, which relieved him; Luke would have hated to delay their vacation by even an hour or two. The door to the gate opened and a seemingly endless stream of people poured through. He was just trying to make up a puzzle to pass the time when he saw a tall, brown top hat in the crowd. Luke dropped his suitcase and waved a hand as high above his head as he could reach.

“Professor, over here! Professor Layton!” he cried, a little too loudly. A pair of eyes emerged from beneath the top hat, looking over the surrounding sea of heads, and a warm smile accompanied it. The professor waved back to indicate he had seen Luke and that he was headed towards him, slowly but surely. When the rest of him came into view, Luke saw he was wearing an orange short-sleeved polo shirt, blue jeans, and sandals; his casual outfit didn’t exactly match his top hat, but Luke thought he still looked as handsome as ever. He was a bit biased, of course.

As the professor approached, time seemed to slow, Luke could feel his heart beating hard in his fingertips, and suddenly, the two men were embracing. Luke was immediately overwhelmed by his favorite scent in the world: sandalwood and vanilla, the professor’s light cologne. Luke quickly blinked away tears, though when he pulled back from the hug, he saw the professor’s eyes were a bit red, as well, but he was smiling brightly. Swatting at his own tears, Luke laughed sheepishly before stepping back to get out of the way of the other disembarking passengers.

“It is wonderful to finally see you again, dear boy,” the professor said, clasping Luke’s shoulder. “Or, man, I should say! You’re as tall as me now!”

“Yeah, I had one last growth spurt a year or two ago,” Luke said. They headed towards baggage claim and customs, with Luke leading the way, as he had located the area earlier.

“How was your flight?” the professor asked.

“It wasn’t the Bostonius, but it was alright!”

“Ha! Yes, we were rather spoiled flying around the world in Desmond’s blimp, weren’t we? I slept through most of my flight, but the takeoff and landing were pleasant enough.”

As they made their way through the airport, Luke walked about two paces ahead of the professor; if he had been ten years younger, he may have broken out into a skip. He was positively beaming, his eyes alight with joy. The professor couldn’t keep a grin at bay, either.

Twenty minutes later, they were in a rental car. Luke offered to drive, as the professor was rather jet-lagged and wasn’t accustomed to driving on the right side of the road. It was the first time they ever gone on a trip together in a car other than the Laytonmobile. It felt different, but not in a bad way. Luke got onto the main road and they were soon underway. As it was nearing 10 p.m., the roads were less dense than they normally were during the day. They chatted easily, as always, though Luke could tell the professor was very tired.

After his fifth yawn in about as many minutes, Luke said, “You can go to sleep if you want to. I won’t mind.”

“Oh, I’ll try to stay up a little longer,” he said, stifling another yawn, “We’re nearly halfway there, correct?”

“Yeah, we’re making really good time, actually; I think we’ll arrive about an hour earlier than I expected.” Luke changed lanes; their exit was ahead. “You’ll have plenty of time to get used to the time zone; there’s no rush for us to do anything.”

“I appreciate that. I’m afraid I’ll probably be useless tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry about it, professor! I know how hard traveling overseas can be.”

“If one isn’t careful, it can be quite disorienting.”

“A five-hour time difference, like you’re experiencing now, isn’t as bad as, like, a 12-hour difference on the other side of the world, I would think. Now that would be _really_ hard to get used to!”

“Well,” the professor said, readjusting in his seat, “one summer when I was an undergrad, Andrew took our class to Moutohora Island in New Zealand for an excavation. It was a 12-hour time difference, but that wasn’t the worst of it. If I remember correctly, we departed from London around 1 p.m. on a Tuesday and flew for nearly 11 hours to Los Angeles for the plane to be refueled, arriving at 4 p.m. that same day. We took off again around 6pm that evening and traveled 13 hours and arrived in Auckland early Thursday morning.”

“Wait, what?!”

“We had completely skipped the Wednesday of that week!” the professor said with a chuckle. “International flight can be strange that way. We never did grow acclimated on that trip; we merely spent two days sleepily digging and taking notes. Clark’s and my friend, Roger Brighton, overslept on the second day. Andrew teased him mercilessly when he finally did show up at the dig site.” He chuckled.

“What are some of your other favorite college memories?” Luke asked. He always loved listening to the professor reminisce.

“Oh, getting lost in London, road trips all across Europe, late study nights with your father, getting to know Andrew… And my first date with Claire, of course. We went to what would become our favorite teahouse. That was actually the first time I tried Belle Classic; Claire recommended it since I couldn’t make up my mind.”

“Really? I thought you drank Belle Classic in your bottles as a baby!”

“Ha! Not at all. I didn’t even like tea that much until my late teens. Randall tried to get me into tea, but he always had me drink fruit-flavored herbal teas, which were not to my taste.”

“I don’t believe it: there was a time before Hershel Layton liked tea. I’m going to have to ask Randall the next time I see him.”

“Be my guest!”

Luke chuckled, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, before falling silent.

“I’m… I really am glad you were able to come, professor.”

“As I am. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Looking over to smile at him, Luke saw such fondness in the professor’s face, he was a bit startled and he quickly returned his eyes to the road. They had been apart for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like to have a friend this close, this familiar. Luke glanced out his window to hide the blush that had crept across his face.

~~~

Time passed quickly as the two men continued to catch up, their conversations meandering from one topic to the next as they always did. The drive was easy for the most part, though a rainstorm seemed to follow them for a while. They arrived at the Tritons’ beach house near midnight. It was a small, well-maintained cottage painted seafoam green; the ocean was in the backyard. According to Luke, it was far away from the more crowded beaches, which Hershel was in favor of. Luke already had the key on his keyring. Once inside, they found simple, but pleasant furnishings among the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and two bedrooms.

“A beachy decoration theme for a beach house is pretty clichéd,” Luke said, gesturing around, “but… my parents couldn’t resist. Fish- and sandal-themed decorations galore!”

“Well, it’s not at all tawdry; it suites this little cottage, I think,” Hershel said, looking around. “Now, which bedroom is whose?”

“I usually claimed the one on the left,” Luke replied, pointing down the hall, “I know you must be tired, professor. Make yourself comfortable; I’ll heat up some canned soup for supper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say how much I've appreciated your comments on the last chapter. They were a big encouragement!


	5. Chapter 5

Despite his fatigue from his long day of traveling, Hershel found he had a hard time falling asleep that night. With the time difference, his body told him it was nearly 6 a.m. and he felt like he had pulled an all-nighter even though it was only 12:30 a.m. Even so, sleep still evaded him. The bed was comfortable enough and there weren’t any distractions keeping him awake. No matter how many mental puzzles he solved, no matter how many times he went over future lesson plans for his classes in his mind, Hershel’s thoughts always returned to Luke. The young man was a common subject of his thoughts, but not usually to this degree. As exhausted minds often do, his mind had latched onto a concept – one of his favorite concepts – and was slow to let go.

When Hershel finally did succumb to sleep, Luke was present in his dreams, too. He was lying on his left side next to Hershel, morning sunlight dancing on his face. Neither of them was wearing clothes – Hershel’s subconscious helpfully supplied – but he didn’t focus on that. All he could see were Luke’s eyes: his merry, intelligent eyes.

They stared at each other, in a peaceful silence, until Luke burst into a laugh and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“The most gorgeous sight the world has ever known, of course,” Hershel whispered.

Luke beamed and snuggled closer, closing the already-small distance between them. They kissed, tenderly, slowly; Luke’s lips were as soft as they looked.

Hershel couldn’t relish the feeling for long, though. The dream faded almost as soon as it came. He started awake, laying in the same position he had been in the dream. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know Luke wasn’t lying there next to him, so he didn’t. The sight of the empty space next to him would be too painful. He could only hope for sleep to take him again quickly.

~~~

The professor stayed in bed for most of the following day. He tried to not nap too much, as that was counterproductive to getting used to the time zone, so he mostly read and worked on a Sudoku book. “Traveling east usually makes for worse jet lag,” the professor said when Luke checked on him that morning. He apologized for being so lazy whenever he made an appearance outside his bedroom to make more tea or a bite of food (he didn’t have much of an appetite at the time), to which Luke told him to not be silly. Luke wanted to spend time with him, of course, but he knew the professor would have to go through this adjustment period before he felt like himself again.

Meanwhile, Luke went to the nearby grocery store and got enough food to last them through the week. He knew all the professor’s favorites, so he made sure to pick those up. As he carried in the groceries from their rental car, he was struck with the thought, _I wish this beach house was our home. I wish we lived like this all the time, that bringing in groceries to our kitchen and making lunch for us were things I did all the time, not just during vacation._ But he knew the futility of those thoughts and, with a resigned sigh, he finished putting the groceries away.


	6. Chapter 6

On their second morning in the beach house, Luke slept in to 9 a.m., which he was not in the habit of doing since his veterinary residency required many early mornings, so it was quite luxurious for him. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he looked out the window to see the ocean. Mesmerized, he watched the waves crash onto the sand, a sight he didn’t think he would ever tire of. It was nice to be back in the bedroom he had spent many summer nights in growing up, and it was even nicer to think that the professor was just on the other side of the wall, rather than the other side of the Atlantic.

Yawning, Luke opened his bedroom door and headed into the living room. There he found the professor seated on the couch in his pajamas, tea in one hand and newspaper in the other. As he entered the kitchen, Luke noticed the kettle on the stove and the box of tea Luke had bought on the counter.

“Good morning, Luke,” the professor said, looking up. “How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well. How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I woke up at 4 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep, but I felt rested, so I can’t complain too much!”

After fetching a teacup from a cupboard, Luke turned around to face the living room. “That’s good-” he said, but stopped himself as he processed what he was actually seeing: the professor wasn’t wearing his top hat. His russet brown hair, peppered lightly with grey, was disheveled from sleep, sticking up here and there. All Luke could do was stand there and gawk. _Oh, great,_ he thought, _he’s even cuter than I remember._ Luke had seen him bareheaded in the past – primarily when they had shared bedrooms during overnight cases – but the hat had never been off long enough for him to grow accustomed to the sight.

Feeling his mouth go dry, Luke asked, “Um… professor, why aren’t you wearing your hat?”

“I left it in my room,” he replied, looking back up from the newspaper. “It rather clashes with my nightclothes.”

“Oh… heh, right.”

The professor had worn his hat the previous day, despite his lethargy, since he had gotten dressed first thing in the morning to discourage himself from napping; wearing his hat had only been natural. Today, however, he was lounging around the house in his pajamas, which Luke found incredibly endearing.

As he waited for his tea to steep, Luke leaned into one of the countertop corners, his mind wandering back through the years. He remembered those rare instances he had seen his friend without his trademark accessory atop his head, until it came upon one of his least favorite memories: the first time he had seen the professor weep. He sighed, recalling the way he had felt back then, sympathizing for the professor as best as a thirteen-year-old could; even back then, Luke had recognized that he could never truly know how Hershel felt.

“Um… you know, the last time I saw you without your hat was… well…”

“The night Claire went back to the moment of the time-machine explosion.”

Luke nodded, pressing his lips together. Ever since the professor had first mentioned his deceased girlfriend to Luke early on in their adventure in “Future London,” they had not talked about her much; even when they found out they had spent the last 48 hours with Claire herself, rather than her fictitious sister Celeste, the woman was still so mysterious to Luke. He thought it wouldn’t hurt to bring her up in conversation, at long last.

“So… you must still miss her, huh?” He turned on the stovetop to make an omelet. “Do you think about her often? If you don’t mind my asking, that is.”

The professor took a sip of tea. “Oh, once or twice a week, at the most; more often during the weeks of the anniversaries of her death and her, er, second death.”

“That time-traveling case… it was so hard to see you go through that. I know as a kid, I didn’t completely understand, but I look back now and… well, I just can’t imagine being in your shoes.”

“Strange as it sounds, seeing her again, knowing it really _was_ her, even if it was for those few minutes before she went back, was beneficial, in a way. It gave us some closure, a chance to say goodbye, that we could have never had otherwise. It’s made it easier to move on; I miss her, but I’ve come to accept what happened.”

Luke smiled at him. “I’m really glad to hear that.” He broke an egg into a skillet. “You never did date much, at least not since I’ve known you.” Hershel’s voice hadn’t sounded too melancholy, so he figured it would be okay to joke a bit. “Is there some lucky future _Mrs_. Layton out there that you’ve neglected to tell me about?”

“No, not at the moment,” the professor said, chuckling.

“What about Emmy? When I was a kid, I thought you two would end up together.”

“No… we talked about dating, once-”

“-What?!”

“But we never went through with it. She’s a very special person to me, but we worked together better as professor and assistant than boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“That makes sense. I’m glad you two parted on good terms, regardless.” Luke cleared his throat softly as he added some shredded cheese to the omelet. His stomach fluttered nervously as he worked up the courage to ask his next question. “Do… do you think you’ll ever fall in love again?”

“I hope so…” the professor said, thoughtfully. He momentarily couldn’t seem to meet Luke’s eyes, though when he finally did, he was smiling. “But I am happy with my current situation, truly. These past twenty years, I’ve grown a lot from losing Claire. I have you and your parents to thank for much of that.”

“Really?” Luke said, putting two pieces of bread in the toaster.

“Oh, yes. You three were instrumental in the aftermath of Claire’s death, or rather her apparent death. Your father was actually the one who called me at my office about the time machine explosion. When I panickily arrived at the Institute, nearly out of my mind with confusion and grief, he found me in the chaos and took me home with him. Your family was the main reason I recovered from losing Claire, as well as from my brutal assault that put a stop to my investigations of the incident. You and your parents spent a lot of time in the hospital with me while I was in comatose.”

“You keep referring to the three of us: Mum, Dad, and me,” Luke said as he turned around to face the professor, “but I was just a little kid back then, right? Like two or three years old? I probably wasn’t much help.”

“On the contrary, my boy. With your limited knowledge, you were able to recognize that I wasn’t myself, that something was very wrong. Over the two or three nights I spent at your house following the explosion, you would wander into the guest room and check on me, showing me random puzzle pieces and crayon drawings. You would bring me books and pretend to read to me, making up your own stories. I can still hear your little voice: ‘Er-shell sad? Don’t be sad. It okay.’ During those dark days, you made me smile when I never thought I would smile again.”

“Wow… I never knew,” Luke said, turning the omelet over in the skillet.

“I so appreciate what you and your parents did for me; our continued friendship over the years means so much to me. It was hard to see my best friend and his family move so far away.”

Luke felt a small stab of jealously in his chest, but he spoke without missing a beat: “So… Dad is still your best friend? That’s amazing that you’ve remained close for so long, ever since your freshman year at Gressenheller…”

The professor blinked a few times, before realization crossed his face.

“Oh, Clark and I will always be good friends, I’m sure, but… I wouldn’t consider him my closest companion.” Luke looked over his shoulder at him in confusion. “Let me rephrase, ‘It was hard for my best friend and his _parents_ move so far away’.” Grinning, the professor quirked an eyebrow for emphasis.

The _ding_ of the toaster jarred Luke. He scrambled to pull the bread out of the appliance. “You mean… _I’m_ your best friend?”

The professor smiled warmly. “Indeed, you are.”

“Oh… heh…” Luke stammered. He could feel the heat rise to his face. “I mean… I kind of _hoped_ I was, but… given our age difference, I didn’t want to assume, well…”

“There _is_ quite a gap, but that’s never been an issue for us. And now that you’re an adult, we understand each other even better.”

Luke nodded, buttering his toast. “Yeah, that’s true. We’ve done a lot together, huh?”

“Certainly. On top of all of our cases, which were often emotionally taxing to begin with, we’ve gone through much together personally, as well: seeing Randall again, being reacquainted with, or well, _encountering_ my biological father and brother, meeting and adopting Flora, my short reunion with Claire, and then there was the restoration of your family while in Misthallery, when we first became friends. I’ve heard some of the strongest bonds come from stressful, emotional situations and we are certainly proof of that!”

“Yeah…”

Luke threw away his tea bag, transferred his breakfast onto a plate, and settled down on the couch next to the professor. Heart beating hard, he couldn’t believe they were having this conversation, but he was so glad they were.

After collecting his thoughts, Luke said, “Oh! And, in case it’s not obvious, you’re my best friend, too, professor. I’ve made some good friends here in America, but, I mean, I haven’t saved the _world_ with any of them, so…”

The professor chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that you haven’t gone on any perilous adventures without me! I should have felt very left out!”

Luke laughed as well, which helped to relieve the tension in his stomach as he ravenously started on his breakfast. _Well, I’m one step closer to confessing my feelings for him, I suppose…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to note that I grew up near the Outer Banks (where Hershel and Luke are) and I am well aware that by early April, the area, and the beaches especially, would already be somewhat crowded since the weather is already pretty warm by that time of the year. However, since I headcanon the two PL trilogies took place in the 1960's, this fic takes place around 1980, back when the Outer Banks was not as popular and touristy as it is now.

Once they had finished breakfast, Luke suggested they go to the nearby Wright Brothers Museum. Immediately upon arrival, Hershel was fascinated. He asked every conceivable question to their tour guide, who, fortunately, was quite patient with his curiosity.  

Luke whispered to him, “The tour guide is sure going the extra mile with all your questions. Was _I_ ever this inquisitive as a kid?”

“Oh, much worse,” Hershel replied, playfully elbowing him.

After another hour of sightseeing, Hershel and Luke grabbed lunch at a fast food restaurant and returned to the beach house. They decided to spend the rest of the day at the beach. Once they had changed into their swimming trunks, they began packing for their outing; as they puttered around the kitchen, Hershel tried in vain to keep his eyes to himself. Luke certainly had matured into a grown man. His pale skin was strewn with freckles and light blond hair. While he was still on the lean side (much like Clark), working with large animals at the clinic had required him to build some muscle, as displayed in his well-fitting swimming trunks. Suddenly realizing his train of thought, Hershel admonished himself: _tone it down, Layton_. Although, just as he thought that, he was almost sure he saw Luke briefly looking him over, as well. _Preposterous._

They gathered beach towels, a beach umbrella, a bottle of sunscreen, water bottles, and a picnic supper of ham and cheese sandwiches and watermelon slices; Hershel packed a newspaper for himself, as he doubted he would swim for very long. Having applied the sunscreen, the two friends set off, holding everything in their arms or on their backs.

Luke led Hershel through the sand dunes behind the cottage, showing him where was best to walk since he had the path memorized. Save for an elderly couple, a surfer, a young family, and a jogger with a dog, the beach was empty, and the various parties were spread out. Hershel had imagined that they would have difficulties finding an open spot on the beach, so this was a pleasant surprise

Approaching the ocean, they settled about ten yards from the tide. Just as Hershel set down the last of his load on their beach blanket, Luke grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the water. Laughing, Hershel followed, throwing off his sandals as they ran. They headed straight into a waist-high wave, letting it pick them up slightly as they moved deeper in; it was cold, but not frigid, and felt quite refreshing in the warm spring weather.

As Hershel got his bearing on the unsteady floor of sand, he suddenly got a mouthful of water. Wiping his eyes dry, he saw Luke’s hands poised for another splash, a lightheartedly threatening look on his face. Hershel matched the expression and splashed back. A battle quickly ensued; they tripped over themselves to get out of the way of the oncoming manmade waves and to get better angles, their laughter and the sounds of the ocean acting as their wartime anthems.

~~~

They passed several minutes in this way before the professor surrendered, hands raised in front of his face.

“You win, O excellent King of the Waves!”

“Yes!” Luke said, attempting to jump in victory.

“Well, as fun as this was,” the professor said, “I’m going to head back to the beach for a bit. I saw some interesting seashells near our towels that I should very much like to study.” He started heading back for the shore.

“Alright, have fun!”

And with that, Luke dove below the surface of the water, swimming against the waves. He had become a good ocean swimmer after his family’s first vacation to the Outer Banks ten years ago and he took every chance he could get. There was nothing like it.

Some time later, Luke needed to catch his breath, so he surfaced and started treading water. He always loved looking back at the beach from the perspective of the ocean, appreciating just how far the coast stretched in both directions. He saw that the professor walking along the shoreline, his left hand full of shells and right hand reaching to pick up another to add to his collection. _Old habits die hard, I suppose,_ he thought, smiling. _We should have brought a bucket._

As he was rocked back and forth by the waves, Luke’s gaze remained on the professor, admiring his wind-tossed hair and sturdy build. Now weighed down with water, the professor’s swimming trunks sagged a bit and Luke caught sight of his lower waistline. Luke liked the way it looked and felt fortunate that he was one of the few people to ever see it. He realized he wanted to kiss it, along with the thin, brown trail of abdominal hair and everywhere around it and… even what lay beneath.

This thought jarred Luke back to his senses. He knew that no matter how much he wished and wanted, the chances of that happening were too small to even consider. He shifted to float on his back with a sigh. _Why did I invite him the beach of all places?_ _You know, where people tend to walk around half naked? We should have gone skiing. This is torture!_

~~~

Luke returned to the beach after having swam for nearly an hour. When Hershel saw him approach, he put down his collection of shells, planted the beach umbrella in the sand, and began to set up their picnic supper, knowing the young man would be hungry. As he sat down on his beach towel, Luke smiled at him, though not as brightly as before.

Removing the plastic wrap from the plate of watermelon slices, Hershel asked, “Everything all right, my boy? You didn’t injure yourself, did you?”

“No, not at all,” Luke said, drying himself off. “Just tired.”

“I can imagine. Swimming in the ocean is quite the exercise! Here you are,” Hershel said, handing him a plate, “Eat up!”

As they ate, Luke was uncharacteristically quiet, appearing contemplative. Hershel considered asking him what he was thinking about, but he thought better of it, knowing Luke would speak his mind when he was ready. He was slightly concerned when the jogger they had seen earlier passed by and Luke didn’t so much as glance at her energetic Labrador retriever. _He must truly be lost in thought._

Having cleaned up and put away their dishes into the picnic basket, they sat in silence on their beach towels, watching the waves crash and recede. The sun was just beginning to set and the water sparkled beautifully; a breath of salty wind tousled their hair. Wanting to convey his contentment of the moment, Hershel put a hand to Luke’s shoulder, only to feel Luke immediately tense at his touch. He quickly pulled his hand away; he could feel his face redden in mortification.

“I… I apologize-”

“It’s okay, professor,” Luke said, halfheartedly, “I just… don’t really feel like being touched right now. I, um… I must have gotten some sunburn without realizing it.”

Hershel didn’t see any signs of sunburn on Luke, but he had no intention of making Luke feel uncomfortable with questions. The silence returned, although now it felt uneasy; Hershel deeply regretted the action. _So much for toning it down._


	8. Chapter 8

Having finished their picnic supper, the two men returned to the beach house. After taking turns in the shower, they hung their wet beach supplies on the porch to dry. Hershel suggested that they break out one of the 500-piece jigsaw puzzles that were stacked on a bookshelf.

“Actually…" Luke said, "I think I’ll turn in early. I’m pretty worn out from swimming."

After bidding him goodnight, Hershel decided to forgo the puzzle for now and instead settle down in the armchair with some light reading: a historical mystery novel. Not usually his favorite genre, but he was on vacation, after all, and he wanted to take a break from the dense textbooks that dominated his shelves in both his office and his flat with some lighter reading. If nothing else, it would provide him with a distraction from the strangeness he had felt with Luke at the beach.

~~~

Shutting the door behind him, Luke fell, face-first, onto his bed. He had tried to enjoy the quality time with the professor, he really had, but through much of the day, especially at the beach, his thoughts had run to the mantra of _he_ _doesn’t love you; you may be his best friend but he doesn’t love you like you love him; if you confess your feelings, you could ruin your friendship, it’s not worth the risk,_ et cetera. He felt ill: both nauseous and heartsick. Either he had to tell the professor how he felt, if only to get it off his chest, or remain silent about it for the rest of his life and keep the friendship intact. It wasn’t that he feared the professor being disgusted or angry with him, just that his feelings wouldn’t be returned and their friendship would be irrevocably changed.

He felt trapped as he considered both options: to confess or to say nothing. Burying his face into his pillow, Luke finally let the tears fall; they streamed down his face in heavy droplets. Each breath came out as a sob. It was only a temporary relief, as his head still pounded with the thought _I’m an idiot to think that we could ever be more than friends._


	9. Chapter 9

Upon finishing the third chapter of the mystery novel, Hershel had already figured out who the murder culprit was, so he decided it was time for some tea. He would try to get through the rest of the novel if it didn’t continue to be so predictable. On his way to the kitchen, he passed Luke’s bedroom door and heard something he wasn’t expecting from within: quiet weeping, interspersed with gasps of breath. All thoughts of tea forgotten, he softly knocked on the door, face drawn with concern.

“Luke…?” Putting an ear to the door, he heard no response, though the sobs were suddenly stifled. “Are you alright? I was just headed to the kitchen when I thought I heard you crying.”

At least five seconds passed before he heard, “I’m… fine. It’s nothing.”

Hershel didn’t know what to do. While he knew that it was ungentlemanly to pry into another’s affairs, it _was_ a gentleman’s duty to help those in distress. He couldn’t just turn a blind eye to his friend’s apparent suffering without offering his help.

“If you are sure… although, you know I am _always_ here for you, if you want to talk.” He had to say something more, something sincere and heartfelt, but his mind faltered to find the right words. “You’re… you’re so important to me and… just, er, please tell me if I can help you in any way.”

When he didn’t receive a reply, Hershel let out the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding and started back into the kitchen. His heart couldn’t take hearing any more of Luke’s private misery, especially when it seemed that there was nothing he could do about it.

The sound of Luke’s bedroom door opening stopped him mid-step. Turning back around, he suddenly found himself pulled into a tight embrace. Luke was unquestionably distraught; Hershel could feel the sobs wracking the young man’s body.

“My dear boy…” Hershel used the old term of endearment out of habit, “what is the matter?” He softly laid his hands on Luke’s back.

Luke could not speak for several moments; all he could do was bawl into Hershel’s shoulder. When he finally did speak, shallow breaths broke his voice. “I… I’m in love with you, professor.”

Jaw dropping, Hershel felt his head spin. Before he could conjure a response – which he was quite sure he wasn’t capable of doing at the moment – Luke continued his shaky confession, still clinging to Hershel like his life depended on it.

“I’ve had a crush on you since my teen years, but during college, I realized it had grown into love. Every time I answered my telephone and heard your voice, whenever I saw a picture of you, every time I so much as thought of you, my heartbeat would race and eventually I _knew_. I just… I didn’t think I would ever tell you for fear of ruining our friendship – which is one of the most precious things in my life – and then,” he laughed mirthlessly, “for some reason I thought this vacation together would help me move past my feelings, but it’s only made things worse: I love you even more now that I’m with you again after all that time apart.”

His grip on Hershel’s shirt got tighter. “I-I… I’m sorry, professor… I don’t want to put you in an awkward position, what with our age difference and you being my longtime mentor and friend… but… I had to tell you.” He swallowed, his breath shaky. “Just… I know what’s done is done, but is there any way we go on like normal, or close to it? Pretend like this never happened?”

“Luke… Luke, please look at me.” Hershel gently pulled out of the embrace, holding Luke by his shoulders. When his tear-stained face emerged, Luke wouldn’t make eye contact, favoring a view over Hershel’s right shoulder. As carefully as a trainer calming a nervous horse, Hershel cupped his cheek and Luke finally met his gaze. “There’s no need to apologize. I love you, too.”

Eyes widening, Luke’s breath visibly hitched. “R-really?”

For once, Hershel spoke without thinking over his words carefully, letting them pour from his heart, quickly but fervently before Luke’s pain could continue any longer.

“Yes, I do. The affection I’ve always had for you throughout our friendship has deepened into a romantic love over the past three years or so. You are so much braver than I to be the first to confess, especially after having kept quiet for so much longer.” 

Hershel moved a hand to Luke’s back and guided him towards the bed, gesturing for them to sit, since Luke remained overcome with astonishment. 

As they settled onto the mattress, he continued, “This vacation has been painful for me, too: being so near and yet so far, as the saying goes. I cannot tell you what a relief this is to me.”

At long last, a small smile appeared on Luke’s lips, before he buried his tear-streaked face in his hands and laughed shakily, releasing excess adrenaline and pent-up anxiety. Hershel could sympathize; while he wasn’t as outwardly emotional, he was sure he was experiencing the same feeling. He kissed Luke’s forehead and leaned him into his shoulder, stroking his back. Luke didn’t tense up at his touch this time; _that would explain his uneasiness at the beach,_ Hershel thought.

Within a minute or so, Luke’s breath regulated, his tears dried, and Hershel could tell his mood had lightened. Luke sat up straight and they shared a warm smile, which was by no means an unusual occurrence. But this smile was different: it was so full of love, hope, and joy, felt so deeply by them both. Hershel caressed Luke’s cheek, drying a stray tear as it fell.

Eyes fluttering closed, Luke gently brushed his lips against Hershel’s. They remained motionless, savoring the moment. Hershel ran a hand through Luke’s hair, confirming his assumption that it was very soft and full-bodied; he could touch it all day. Luke giggled and they beamed at each other. Luke embraced Hershel again, wrapping his arms around his neck. He was bursting with excitement.

“So…” When he pulled back from the hug, Luke’s gaze was faraway, yet contented. “What do we do now? I mean, are we going to start dating, or… or would that be too weird?”

Hershel pondered the question, one that he never thought he would get to answer. “Well, we certainly could begin dating. As much as I would like that, doing so _would_ change our relationship drastically.”

“Yeah… now that we’ve spilled the beans, there isn’t any going back to normal. And… I don’t really _want_ to go back.”

“Nor do I. We’ve taken a huge step in our relationship.”

“This week will be a good test-run,” Luke said thoughtfully. “If things go well and don’t feel awkward or anything, then I guess we’ll just continue with it.”

“Sounds fair,” Hershel said with a grin. “Although, it will not exactly be a realistic testing ground, considering how we are parting ways at the end of the week. Long distance relationships of all kinds can be very difficult to maintain; adding romance to the mix will not make things any easier for us once this vacation is over.”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

Hershel rubbed his chin. _There must be a way to make this easier…_ he thought.

“Perhaps I could move to New York, so we could be near each other. Cornell University has a fine archeology department, correct? If they aren’t hiring, perhaps I could find a job at a history museum, or…”

“That’s really kind of you to offer, but professor, I _can’t_ ask you to leave Gressenheller for me!” Luke sounded quite adamant. “I have so many fond memories of GU and I know how much you love it there. And… to be honest, I don’t really want to stay in America for much longer. For the last few months, I’ve been seriously considering moving back to London.”

Hershel laughed in surprise. “Truly? That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah! I like America, but it’s never _really_ been home for me. I miss London so much, and even more than that, you. Living so far away from you for the past twelve years, only visiting each other every now and then… it’s been awful. And now that we’re… well, _together_ , that’s all the more reason for me to move back, the tip of the iceberg!”

“But what about your residency in New York?”

“I’ll be done in two months and it’ll probably take at least that long to fill out all the paperwork; fortunately, my dual citizenship should speed things along. Then I can get a job at a veterinary hospital in London. In the meantime, you can be on the lookout for an affordable flat near yours and claim it for me before it gets snatched up. I’ll pay you back for the month or two of rent.”

“I _could_ do that… or you could move into my flat.”

Luke raised his eyebrows. “That’d be great! But I wouldn’t want to intrude on you and Flora.”

“Not at all. If you do come in two months’ time, her and Nathan’s wedding will be right around the corner. Flora will be completely moved into their house in Winchester by the time you arrive in London. It would work out perfectly!”

“And then I’ll get to attend their wedding, after all! I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it because of my schedule.”

“She’ll be so excited!”

“Yeah! We’ll have to give her a call later and tell her.”

“And I would cover the rent until you are settled in at your new job, of course. You’re just starting out, after all.”

“Thank you… although, I _will_ help pay for groceries. I know I eat way more than you and Flora!” 

Hershel chuckled. “You raise a good point, my boy!”

 “I just… never could have dreamed this would ever happen.” His smile was nothing short of radiant.

“I understand the feeling,” Hershel said, leaning in for a second kiss; Luke happily mirrored him. Before contact could be made, however, Hershel grimaced and sat back. “I’m sorry. I just realized that I called you ‘my boy’ just now. I should get out of that habit. The nickname has rather… unpleasant conations now, given our history and current situation.”

Luke laughed. “Yeah, that would be a good idea.” He paused to consider. “Should… I stop calling you ‘professor,’ then? Since it’s what I always called you as a kid?”

“You don’t have to – many other people refer to me simply as ‘professor,’ after all – but I certainly wouldn’t mind if you called me by my name.”

“Alright… _Hershel_ …”

Luke resumed their close proximity, crushing their lips together. Sighing, Hershel cradled his head in both hands while Luke’s arms snaked down his body before finally resting in the small of Hershel’s back. He smelled like lavender soap and he tasted, inexplicably, of _Luke_. Their mouths gradually opened for each other – they couldn’t have said who was the first – and their tongues tenderly danced. A few moments passed; Hershel’s lips migrated away from Luke’s, across his jaw, and up towards his earlobe, lightly nibbling it. Luke moaned softly; pulling back, Hershel could see that Luke’s pupils were blown wide with arousal. It dawned on him how rapidly they were moving.

“Are… do you want…” Hershel breathed. “Are you sure about this…?”

Luke rose from the bed, without breaking contact, only to resettle onto Hershel’s lap. Arms encircling Hershel’s neck, Luke crossed his legs behind his back, bringing their bodies closer together.

“There’s nothing I want more. _Please,_ Hershel.”

This assuaged any remaining concerns he had and only stirred him further. In this new position, it wasn’t long before they felt stiffness between them; their trousers only added to the friction. Hershel removed his top hat from his head and set it on the nightstand to his left with only a fraction of the usual care he handled it with; Luke’s fingers swiftly took its place, lacing into Hershel’s hair. They quickly fell into a rhythm of rocking into each other, hips slotting together as easily as cogwheels. Hershel groaned as pleasure coursed through his body; it was nearly too much to take in. Shifting slightly, their erections brushed harder and Hershel could hear the breath catch in Luke’s throat; his own breathing was also ragged and heavy.

“Ah… hah… Hersh-” Luke panted. “I-I’m…!” He couldn’t say anymore. Hershel watched in awe as an orgasm came over Luke; he was more beautiful than Hershel thought possible. Just the sight pushed Hershel over the edge, as well; his vision went white and he heard himself shout, as if from a distance. They clutched each other desperately. Riding out their climaxes, the two men fell back onto the bed, holding each other close.


	10. Chapter 10

Head swimming, Luke slowly opened his eyes what felt like an eternity later. He was laying on top of Hershel at a strange angle, his trousers were uncomfortably damp, and felt sure he was never going to catch his breath, but at the same time, he had never felt better. When he returned to himself, Luke realized Hershel was looking back at him. He couldn’t help but grin.

“Hi.”

“Hello there.”

Luke sat up and moved off of Hershel so that he could sit up. “That was really nice.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Hershel looked a bit dazed, but Luke could tell he was happy.

“I got a bit carried away there…” Luke said, biting his lip. “I hadn’t imagined our first time being so rushed.”

Hershel smiled. “I’d have to agree, but that was only the first of many, hmm?” He gave Luke a peck to reassure him. “How about a shower, then? I imagine the state of your pants is similar to mine and thus is quite uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, that sounds good right about now. Do you think we can both fit in the shower?” Luke wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“We can try, but I’m afraid I’m a bit too tired to go for a second round so soon after the first, if that is what you’re implying.”

Luke smiled. “That’s alright.” They got up and walked out into the living room. “I love seeing you like that, by the way,” he said when Hershel started brushing his fingers through his mussed hair. “I mean, I like the top hat, of course, but you’re just so… _cute_ when you’re bareheaded! Especially when your hair is all tousled like that!”

“‘Cute,’ am I?” he said, chuckling.

“Would you ever consider not wearing your hat all the time? Maybe just save it for your office hours and lectures and special occasions? Or would that be ungentlemanly?”

“Oh, I suppose not. I’m not any less a gentleman in my demeanor without the hat.”

“Right! You’re always a gentleman, through and through!”

They entered the bathroom down the hall and Hershel turned the light on. Luke reached into the shower to turn the water on, since he knew it would take a minute to warm up. He was about to start unbuttoning his shirt when he thought, _Wait… maybe not._ He turned back around.

“Er, I just realized…”

“What is it, my bo- er, Luke?”

“This is going to be the _first_ time we see each other naked, ever. Standing awkwardly in a shower. That’s not very romantic.”

“That’s true,” Hershel said, considering. “When you put it that way, I think I would prefer to wait until later for that momentous occasion. Why don’t you shower first? Once you get behind the curtain, I’ll bring in your pajamas and some clean pants for you to change into when you’re done and shower once you’re done.”

“That’d be great! Thanks!”

Hershel turned around to exist the bathroom; as he headed into the hallway, he adjusted his trousers around his waist, as they had gotten a bit twisted from their bedroom activities. Luke’s eyes were drawn to his toned rear.

“I’m loving the view!” he called. Hershel gave him an amused look over his shoulder. Luke continued, “What? I’ve always wanted to say that.” Laughing, Hershel shut the door behind him.

Luke caught his eye in the mirror above the sink. He felt quite sure that he had never felt nor looked this happy before. His smile remained even as he carefully slipped out of his messy briefs.

He couldn’t stop thinking _I’m now dating Hershel Layton. We’re in love. How did I get this lucky?!_


	11. Chapter 11

Half an hour later, when they were both all cleaned up and in their pajamas, they settled onto the couch, Luke laying on Hershel’s chest, ensconced in his arms and a warm blanket. It was nearly 9:30 p.m., but before going to bed, they decided to unwind from the emotional rollercoaster of the evening with an episode of _The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes_ , the Brett and Burke adaptation. According to a commercial, “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches” was just about to air as a rerun, which was one of Hershel’s favorites.

After the opening scene, they both hummed to the theme music, as they were both familiar with it. As the show progressed, they eventually adjusted to lying out flat on the couch; there was just enough space for Hershel to spoon Luke. They thoroughly enjoyed the episode, especially Holmes’ and Watson’s humorous exchange at the end.

Luke reached for the remote controller and turned off the television before snuggling back into Hershel’s arms.

“You know…” he said, “We’re a lot like Holmes and Watson.”

Hershel chuckled. “How so?”

“We’re life-long friends, we enjoy solving mysteries together, we’ve worked with Scotland Yard to catch criminals, Holmes and Watson were flat mates in London and we’re going to be flat mates in London in the near future…”

“My, there _are_ quite a few similarities-”

“ _And_ some literary scholars think that they were secretly lovers,” Luke said, grinning when he saw Hershel’s eyebrows shoot upwards in surprise. “We talked about it at one of the meetings of the Literature Club my junior year at Cornell. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle obviously couldn’t have written about it explicitly back in the 19 th century, but there’s actually a lot of evidence in the subtext, if you read closely.”

“I’ve never heard about that before, but I do seem to recall a few passages in the original stories that depicted them as being rather closer than friends. Jeremy Brett and David Burke portray them very chummily in the television show, as well. So, which of us is which?”

“You’re Holmes, obviously!” Luke said, sitting up on the couch to face Hershel. “You have his powers of deduction and observation and, when we’re on cases, you always seem to be one step ahead of everyone.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that-”

“And I’m Dr. Watson, your faithful assistant: asking all the important questions and providing unique perspectives on situations. We haven’t gone on a case ever since I was a kid, but I’m even more like Watson now that I’m in the medical field!”

“Well, I suppose it’s like Holmes says: ‘There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.’ History does tend to repeat itself and fiction often reflects real life. Speaking of which… when you move back to London, would you still like to accompany me on cases?”

“Are you kidding, Hershel?” Luke said, his eyes lighting up. “Of _course_ , I would! I’ve missed our adventures so much. I’ll have to work around my schedule at whatever veterinary hospital I end up at. I doubt I’ll be able to find a job that is as flexible as Gressenheller is with you, but I definitely want to go with you whenever I have free time.”

“I’m very glad to hear it! Although, now that we are, er… boyfriends?”

“Hmm, I think we’re past the point of boyfriends, since we’ve been friends for so long. Maybe partners?”

“Yes, that sounds right. Now that we’re romantic partners, our dynamic on cases will probably be different than it was in years past. Would you want to be introduced as my partner in the business sense or the romantic? You’re obviously not my ‘apprentice’ anymore.”

“Well, doesn’t Holmes always call Watson his ‘friend and colleague’? Maybe something like that. We could just say partner; I think most people would assume we mean partners in detective work. And don’t say you’re not a detective; you’re practically working at Scotland Yard part time now according to your letters. If you’re Sherlock Holmes, Chelmey is like Inspector Lestrade!”

“Hershel Layton: consulting detective,” he said dramatically. “So, no hand-holding at crime scenes, I take it?”

Luke considered. “Hmm… maybe a little… But we should keep it professional!”

“It’s a deal.” Leaning back into the couch, the two men started to reminisce about some of their past cases, remembering people they had met along the way and the various towns they had visited. Luke rested his head onto Hershel’s shoulder, tracing a finger around his palm.


	12. Chapter 12

When at last they ran out of stories (for the moment) and silence fell upon them, Hershel sat up and stretched.

“Now, then, my dear Triton,” he said with a smirk, mimicking Holmes’ and Watson’s speech style.  “What’s say we make our way to our bedroom, hmm? The evening grows old and sleep beckons.”

“I could not agree more, Layton,” Luke replied as they stood up, “Although… I’m pretty sure Holmes and Watson would call each other by their first names in private, especially as lovers.”

“Ah yes, good point.” They were approaching the two bedroom doors. “Which bedroom would you like to sleep in? The master bedroom has a bigger bed, but do you think your parents would mind if we, er… made love in their bed?”

Luke started to laugh at Hershel’s choice of words, but stopped himself. “How… do you think my parents are going to take this? I mean, it’s not every day that you find out that your son and your long-time friend are in love.”

“Hmm. I can’t say for sure, of course, but I think they will be happy for us, once they understand the situation and adjust to the idea.”

“Yeah… we’ll make sure to explain that you fell in love with me in the past two or three years, not back when I was younger. I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong idea.”

“Certainly. We can call them first thing in the morning, if you’d like.”

“That would make me feel better to get it out of the way. And to answer your question, I’d like for us to sleep in my room, if that’s okay.”

“Sure,” Hershel said as they headed into Luke’s – no, _their_ – bedroom. A full moon shone in the window, so they didn’t bother to turn the light on. “I’ll move my things in tomorrow.”

Sitting down on the side of the bed, he thought, _where it all began…_ He would never forget their life-changing conversation that had taken place there only a few hours previous.

Luke joined him, plopping down with a bounce.

“We’ve already had sex here once, so may as well just keep it in there. Plus, my bedspread and sheets, being queen-sized, will less expensive to replace than a king-sized set if they’re ruined.” Hershel blushed at this. “What?” Luke said, laughing, “It _is_ a possibility!”

“I suppose it is,” he replied with a smile.

Leaning back, Hershel crossed to the far side of the bed to give Luke space to lie down, but Luke followed him to his side like a shadow. They fumbled a bit in the dark, but eventually got under the comforter and sheets and settled into each other’s arms. The two men just held each other; despite them now being about the same height, Luke naturally fit in Hershel’s embrace. Their breathing slowly synchronized and Hershel brushed his fingers through Luke’s hair.

After a while of this, Luke murmured, “As much as I would like to start ruining our sheets-” Hershel tittered at this, “-I’m exhausted from everything that’s happened.”

“As am I. In the morning, perhaps?”

Luke lifted his head from Hershel’s chest to kiss him lazily. “Sounds good.” His voice already sounded drowsy. “I love you…” he trailed off, closing his eyes.

Hershel surprised himself by suddenly tearing up. It would take him a while to grow accustomed to hearing those words, with their new meaning, from Luke.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, blinking away his tears.

Still holding him close, Hershel carefully adjusted Luke to a position that was more comfortable for sleeping. He found he had no problem drifting off; whether that was due to finally adjusting to the time zone or finally holding the love of his life in his arms, he couldn’t say for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems that my posting schedule of every other day is a bit too fast for me, haha! I may not be able to post a new chapter until Monday, as I'm running quite low on my backlog of chapters; the total number chapters I have set for this fic (as of now, 23) is just an estimate based on how I've planned for the fic to go and unfortunately is not yet a reality. I don't have much homework for university this weekend, so hopefully I can get lots of writing done and build up my backlog again for the coming week.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

Luke was the first to wake up the following morning. It took him at least a full minute to fully realize his situation – limbs sprawled across Hershel’s, in what was now their bed – and when he did, the memories of the day before came flooding back to him, and with them came an overwhelming feeling of warmth and joy. He smiled into his pillow, still not fully believing what had happened. It was the best kind of incredulity imaginable. _We’re in love. This is really happening_ , he thought, not for the first time and certainly not the last.

Propping himself up on his elbow, Luke got a better view of the sleeping man next to him. Hershel was, of course, always a mild person, both in manner and appearance, and he looked even gentler now than he did awake. Lips parted, his breathing came softly; his arms, now vacant of Luke, were drawn close to his torso. Luke watched him sleep; he would have been content to do so for hours, but a few minutes later, Hershel’s eyes slipped open and a warm smile crossed his face.

Voice heavy with sleep, he said, “Well, look at that. My dream from a few nights ago has come to life.”

“Really?” Luke laughed. “You’ve dreamed about us together in bed? Me, too!”

“Hmm-hmm. In that one in particular, we barely had a chance to kiss before I woke up.”

“Well, let’s make up for that.” Leaning down, Luke rested his hands on Hershel’s chest and they shared a simple kiss, as sweet as their first.

“Lovelier than I could have dreamed,” Hershel murmured, not breaking contact.

Tracing Hershel’s bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, Luke breathed, “Let’s make it even better.” He sat up and slipped his pajama shirt over his head. “I want to see you, Hershel,” he whispered. “All of you.”

“I’d be more than happy to oblige.” Hershel sat up, as well, and unbuttoned his own nightshirt. Of course, Luke had seen him shirtless in the past, but he still felt a thrill at the sight: _I get to touch him now_ , he thought.

Getting their pajama trousers and underwear off was more complicated – the sheets were quite tangled – so they reluctantly got out of bed to finish disrobing. They stood before each other at the foot of the bed, almost frozen, completely silent. Before working up the courage to touch each other, their eyes roamed freely.

Hershel looked much like Luke had envisioned countless times, though seeing him for himself was infinitely better. He was wiry in physique, even in his middle age; Luke remembered him mentioning in a letter that he had taken up fencing again, and it showed, particularly in his quadriceps. His pubic hair was darker brown than his hair color and quite a bit curlier, reminding Luke of the old pictures he had seen of Hershel’s longer hairstyle. Nestled between his legs was his member, not quite hard yet, but on its way there. It was rather slender and an average length, relative to his rather short stature of 5’4”, but Luke quite liked the look of it.

They approached each other, unsure of where to begin. Hershel finally initiated the touching; he tentatively ran a hand down the side of Luke’s torso, before pausing, unsure, at his hip.

“You don’t have to stop there. I’m yours.” Luke took his free hand in both of his and placed it over his heart.

Eyes briefly fluttering up to meet Luke’s, Hershel took a deep breath before his hand continued its journey south. Luke sighed softly as goose bumps arose at his touch. Hershel’s hand trailed down Luke’s thigh, before sliding upwards to cup his buttocks. This seemed to give him more confidence, as his next movement was towards Luke’s front. Hershel gently took Luke in his hand in a light grasp, as if growing familiarized to how it felt. Luke could feel himself harden before Hershel had done much of anything; his touch was enough.

Voice sounding hoarse, Hershel murmured, close to Luke’s ear, “I want to taste you. May I?”

Luke leaned his head back to expose his neck to Hershel’s seeking mouth.

“Anywhere you’d like,” he breathed.

As if having the same thought, they moved at the same time towards the bed; Luke edged himself backwards towards the head of the bed and Hershel settled between Luke’s legs, his eyes chest-level. Luke laid back onto the small mountain of pillows; his hand brushed Hershel’s cheek, then let both hands rest on Hershel’s shoulders, drawing him close; _I’ll do my own exploring later,_ he thought. Hershel’s lips returned to his neck, sucking at his collarbone. He leisurely made his way downwards, kissing every inch of skin. His hands surveyed Luke’s body thoroughly, as well, touching everywhere he could reach and eventually ended up cradling Luke’s waist. When Hershel’s mouth found one of his nipples, Luke let out a high moan in response, electricity coursing through his body.

“You seem quite sensitive here,” Hershel said between soft nibbles, “Noted.”

Luke hardened even more; his rising erection soon caught Hershel’s attention. Having shut his eyes long ago, Luke gasped when wet heat suddenly enveloped his cock; when he opened his eyes, he saw Hershel had taken him fully in his mouth. His mind drew a blank at the sight: the most beautiful man he knew was between his legs, cheeks hollowed out and eyes closed in pleasure, the picture of sensuality. For the first few moments, Hershel seemed to experiment in his technique – slowly alternating between sucking and licking – all the while using Luke’s audible and physical reactions as his guide. He was a fast learner and, unsurprisingly, an attentive lover.

“Oh, yes,” Luke exhaled, “O-oh, that’s… that’s good… ah…” Hershel was now lapping at the head, already wet with pre-ejaculate. Encouraged by this, he tongued the slit only briefly before Luke arched his back and dug his fingers into Hershel’s hair. “Ah-hah…!” he cried, “N-not yet, Hershel. I’m… I think I’m too close…”

Hershel immediately withdrew and Luke released his grip on his hair.

“Let’s slow down, then.” He propped himself up on his forearms to better see Luke’s face. “What would make you feel good, love?”

“That felt amazing, but… it’s taking some getting used to… being with you, of course, and sex in general. Rachel and I only slept together twice before we broke up, four years ago, and my other two relationships weren’t as physical, so… I’m just not really accustomed to this yet.”

Hershel smiled. “I understand completely. A few months before Randall and Angela started dating, he and I fooled around a few times, but it hadn’t been very meaningful. Claire and I were planning to wait until marriage, so… I haven’t, well… It’s been a while for me, too, to say the least.”

“Oh, Hershel…” Luke said, sitting up to cup his face.

“It’s fine, Luke. We’re in this together, alright? We both agreed our first time together last night was more rushed than we would have liked; we can take this as slowly as we need to.”

Luke nodded. “Right… I wouldn’t mind if we continued where we left off.” He smiled, running a thumb across Hershel’s lower lip.

“Mm,” Hershel said, licking his thumb, “I certainly wouldn’t mind that, either. I was looking forward to tasting your semen.”

“ _Hersh_ el!” Luke said, laughing.

“Just being honest, love,” he said as he returned to his position from before. “Now… what felt nice to you?”

“I liked when you just licked the sides.” Hershel did so immediately, causing Luke to gasp again, but he was much more in tune with what was going on this time. “A-ah… like I said, when you touched the tip, it felt amazing, but that nearly took me over the edge, way too fast.” Luke’s fingers wove themselves back into Hershel’s hair again. “So… hmph… maybe just leave that to the end.”

True to his word, Hershel stretched out his ministrations for several minutes, taking his time. Eventually, a hand joined Hershel’s tongue, covering more area. He started to delicately massage Luke’s balls and, at the same time, took Luke completely in his mouth again. Hershel bobbed his head a bit, swallowing occasionally around it. As he pulled off to catch his breath, his tongue inadvertently grazed the tip. Fire seemed to flood Luke’s abdomen; moaning, he pulled his legs up on either side of Hershel’s head and his fingers sought for traction somewhere around his shoulders.

Returning to the side of Luke’s cock to trail it with kisses, Hershel said, “Too fast?”

“No,” Luke said breathlessly, “It’s fine. I’m ready now.” Hershel latched back on, moving his head forward and backward, and started to pick up the pace. Every time he pulled back, he worked the tip of Luke’s cock with his tongue and it soon began to pulse. Crying out, Luke threw back his head onto the pillow and thrusted hard, pleasure overwhelming him. His hips shot upwards of their own volition and everything went white.

Recovering his senses, the first thing Luke saw was Hershel, licking wetness from his lips and swallowing; he must have caught the semen in his mouth. When he noticed Luke’s eyes on him, he beamed.

“Gorgeous,” Luke whispered.

“Yes, you are.” Hershel crawled up Luke’s body to meet him for a kiss. He tasted slightly differently than before; Luke figured he was tasting himself on his lips. It was an odd flavor, but not unpleasant. Their tongues danced lazily, without any particular rhythm and neither taking the lead.

When they finally separated, Luke sat up a bit and Hershel leaned back, sitting cross-legged. He saw that Hershel’s erection was still as strong as it had been from the beginning.

“I would have never guessed you were out of practice,” Luke said, “That was amazing, Hershel. It really was. Now… it’s _my_ turn.” He reached forward and grasped Hershel’s cock in both hands, causing his lover to suddenly shudder. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to explore your body.”

“I fear I won’t be able to last for an exhaustive inspection in this state,” Hershel groaned. “But you’re more than welcome.”

Luke began to slowly fondle him, relying only on his solo experiences to know what might feel good. At least to begin with, Hershel was not as vocal as he had been, but Luke watched his face to ensure what he was doing was pleasurable. As his right hand continued to rub, Luke’s left hand eventually found its way down to Hershel’s rear; he shyly fingered his opening.

Then came Hershel’s first moan, breathy and low. “Hmm… perhaps later,” he mumbled.

Luke silently agreed; he figured they would need some lubricant before proceeding in that direction.

He returned his focus back to Hershel’s cock, running up and down the length of it with both hands, memorizing every little detail of it: the way it felt, the way it would bounce, even its light scent. He was about to give oral sex a try, as well – he was curious about the taste and he had quite enjoyed receiving it – when a slightly different turn of his wrist caused Hershel to sit bolt upright, groaning more loudly than Luke had yet heard him; he could tell Hershel’s orgasm was fast approaching. Luke quickened his strokes and leaned in closer, lips latching on to the skin of Hershel’s sternum, making his way up to his jugular notch, which Luke had always found so attractive. He could feel Hershel’s breathing pick up before his entire body convulsed; his hips quivered a few times, as their stomachs were coated in his essence.

With one last caress, Luke released Hershel, knowing he would probably be sensitive. He was going to wait for him to start breathing normally again before kissing him, but before he knew it, Hershel kissed him deeply and suddenly Luke was the one who forgot how to breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am making my post schedule every Monday and Thursday now, as opposed to posting just about every other day. I definitely want to continue this fic, but my schoolwork has to come first!


	14. Chapter 14

After cleaning up, they feasted on a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Luke suggested that they call their loved ones to announce their happy news. They were going to call Flora first, but Hershel remembered that her shift at the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children in London wouldn’t end for another two hours.

“In the meantime, we can call my parents,” Luke said, “They have Wednesdays off from the museum, so hopefully they’ll both be at home.”

“You’re sure you are ready?” Hershel asked as they headed over to the couch, cordless telephone in tow.

“Yeah. I really want them to know as soon as possible.”

Luke dialed his parents’ home telephone number. Once he had finished, the telephone only rang twice before Brenda’s voice came over the receiver.

“Hello, Triton residence.”

“Hey mum, it’s Luke!”

“Oh, hi, darling!” Brenda said, her voice as chipper as ever. “It’s so good to hear your voice! How are you boys doing at the beach house?”

“Well, we’ve only had to call the fire department twice, so pretty well!” Luke said, grinning.

“ _Very_ funny.”

“Hersh… er, I mean, the professor’s right here; let me put the phone on speaker so we can all talk.” Luke held the telephone between himself and Hershel and pushed the speaker button.

“Hello, Brenda,” Hershel said, leaning in closer to the microphone. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything…?”

“No, not at all! I was just reading Doris Pompitious’ newest textbook on ornithischian dinosaurs. Have you gotten around to it yet, Hershel?”

 “Oh, I’ve heard about it! Is it as good as her research on the Azran? Because, if so…” _Focus_ , Luke quickly mouthed to him. Hershel nodded and cleared his throat. “Er, actually, Brenda, if could we discuss that another time, I would appreciate it. Luke and I have some exciting news that we’d like to share with you both. Is Clark around?”

“Yes, he’s just outside in the garden. Let me grab him…” she said before setting her telephone down.

As they waited, Hershel could tell Luke was more nervous as the moment approached. He pantomimed a deep breath and offered his most encouraging smile; Luke exhaled and smiled back.

A moment later, they heard Clark’s voice over the telephone. “Hello, hello, you two! So, what’s this announcement you have for us?”

Luke froze and stared at Hershel a bit panickily; if Hershel read his expression correctly, Luke had assumed his father would make some small talk first, but Clark had gotten right down to business. It was now or never.

“Ah, we’d like to tell you that…” Hershel said quickly, “ahem… Luke and I, we… er…” His stomach twisted in knots. Now _he_ was feeling nervous.

Luke finally found his tongue. “Mum, dad… Hershel and I are in love. We’re a couple now.”

The silence that followed was pregnant, to be sure. Hershel’s heart beat hard and knew Luke must be feeling the same way. Only a few seconds passed, however, before Clark cheered delightedly and Brenda laughed tearfully.

“Well, my goodness!” he said.

“Truly?!” she choked.

Smiling, Luke said, “Y-yeah! We confessed our feelings to each other last night and have been discussing our relationship a lot ever since. I’ve been in love with him for five or six years, and Hershel said he fell in love with me about three years ago.”

The Tritons seemed to be both laughing and crying with joy. They couldn’t speak for several moments.

“You’ll have to excuse us… we’re… a bit taken aback,” Clark said, catching his breath. “It’s just that… well, Brenda, why don’t you tell them.”

“Alright, alright…” Brenda said, still laughing at bit. “Luke, your dad and I must have had the exact same thought in reaction to your news. You see, when you first told us that you are bisexual back when you were a teenager – you were, what, seventeen? – your dad and I had a discussion later that night in our bedroom. We both said we had something on our minds and both suggested that the other speak first, so I finally just said it: ‘Isn’t Hershel demisexual? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he and Luke got together, when Luke is a bit older?’”

“ _Really_?” Hershel exclaimed. He and Luke looked at each other, both smiling widely.

“That’s right!” Clark said excitedly, “And I replied, ‘That’s exactly what I was thinking! They have always had such a special relationship, I really wouldn’t be surprised if they did eventually fall in love.’ We talked about it a few more times after that, but never mentioned it to anyone else. Luke dated a few people, but it was obvious how much he always missed you, Hershel.”

“And then when Luke suggested that we should invite you on our next family beach vacation a few months ago,” Brenda said, “let’s just say… Clark and I hadn’t _exactly_ had any preexisting plans during the time frame Luke had in mind for the vacation, but we made plans right away, so we would have an excuse to not go with you. We knew how much you two needed time together, after having been apart for so long.”

Clark continued her thought, “And if it turned into something more, well… we didn’t want to get in the way!”

“I see…” Hershel said, scratching his head. “This was not what we were expecting. But it is quite a pleasant surprise!”

“You can say that again!” Clark chuckled. “Although… what are you going to do after your vacation ends and you go your separate ways? Long distance relationships can be really tough, you know.”

“We’ve already talked about that,” Luke said, “and… after I finish my training in New York, I’m planning to move back to England.” He sounded proud of his decision. “I’m going to work at a veterinary hospital in or near London and live in Hershel’s flat. I know that means we won’t be able to see each other as much… hopefully we’ll be able to visit a few times year.”

“Your dad and I are surprised you stayed in America as long as you have,” Brenda said. “We always figured you would return to London someday. Don’t give it another thought, sweetheart; your dad and I will be content knowing you are where you want to be, with the person you want to be with.”

Luke smiled, near tears. “Thanks, mum. That means a lot to us.”

“I must say…” Clark said, amazement still in voice, “I never thought I would ever call one of my closest friends ‘son-in-law,’ but it has a nice ring to it!” He spoke lightheartedly, obviously expecting a laugh, but Hershel’s and Luke’s eyes instantly met and neither seemed to be able to speak.

A full ten seconds must have passed before Hershel finally said, “Er… um, we haven’t exactly talked about, er, marriage, but… I mean-”

Luke took Hershel’s hand in his and smiled warmly at him.

“We haven’t yet, but… we _could_.”

Hershel instantly returned his smile, eyes shining.

A collective _aww_ came from the Tritons.

“In any case, as wonderful as it would be to have you as an official son-in-law, Hershel,” Clark said, “there’s no pressure for you two to get married.”

“Right,” Brenda said. “You take your time and do as you see fit.”

“Thank you both,” Hershel said. “Your support is very much appreciated, especially here at the beginning as we’re still sorting ourselves out.”

“And… um…” Luke said, momentarily faltering, “The age difference between us doesn’t bother you…?”

“Well, it _is_ a bit unusual,” Brenda said, “and if you were to start dating some random 45-year-old person you had just met, we would be more concerned about that. But your dad and I have known Hershel longer than we’ve known each other, so it’s hardly an issue.”

“And besides,” Clark said, chuckling, “When you were a kid, we always trusted Hershel to keep you safe on your adventures together, so surely we can trust him to not break your heart now!”

Hershel and Luke exchanged glances and quickly stifled laughs; after they had returned from the Azran eggs expedition, they had agreed to not mention to the Tritons that they had briefly died, sacrificing themselves for all of humanity. They thought it would be for the best.

 “Thank you,” Hershel said after quickly composing himself, “It’s a relief to have your blessing.”

“Yeah, it really is!” Luke chimed.

“I’m glad we had a chance to talk,” Hershel said. “We’ll let you go now.”

“Thanks so much for calling! We love you!” Brenda said.

“Love you, too!” Luke and Hershel said together; Hershel felt a bit awkward saying it, but he smiled nonetheless.

Luke hung up the phone and set it on the couch cushion. They sat in silence, reflecting on the conversation.

“That went… _really_ well,” Luke said, looking a bit shocked.

“It certainly did!”

“I wish we could tell your parents, Hershel,” Luke said, mellowing a bit.

Hershel smiled sadly, pressing his lips together. “So do I, but I’m sure they would be happy for us, too. They always liked you very much.”

Luke beamed before kissing Hershel’s cheek.


	15. Chapter 15

Once they had finished lunch, Hershel estimated that Flora would be home from work by that time, as it was nearly 6 p.m. BST.

Before Hershel dialed the telephone number, Luke said, “Do… you think we’ll need to discuss our family dynamic with her?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like… am I going to be her stepdad…? That’d be so weird! We’ve been friends since we were kids and besides, I’m three years younger than her!”

“Well, now that you’re both adults, I wouldn’t think your relationship with her would change just because _ours_ changes. I imagine it will be more of a case of us being her childhood guardian and his partner, rather than two fathers.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

As Hershel made the international call to the Layton home telephone, they smiled at each other, feeling excited to make their announcement to her.

“Hello, this is Flora Reinhold.” To Luke’s ears, her voice had matured since he had last seen her, though it did still carry a note of sweetness.

“Flora, it’s Hershel. How are you, my dear?”

“Oh, hey!” she said brightly. “I’m doing well, thank you. I just got home a few minutes ago; had a quiet day at the Foundation. I’m leaving in a few minutes to meet Nathan at a furniture store – we still need to find a dining room table – so I can’t talk for long. Are you and Luke at the beach house?”

“Yeah, we are!” Luke piped up. “Hi, Flora!”

“Hey, Luke! Are you keeping Hershel out of trouble?”

“I’m doing my best!”

Hershel chuckled. “Indeed, he is. We just wanted you to be among the first to know that-”

“You two are a couple now!” Flora said, giggling.

“What?!” Luke exclaimed. “How do you know already?”

“Your mum called me at work since she was absolutely bursting with excitement. She thought I already knew.”

“Flora, we would have called you first, but I knew you would still be at work, so…” Hershel started.

“It’s fine! I only took a personal call because we didn’t have much going on. I’m really happy for you both!”

“Ah… well, thanks!” Luke said. “And by the way, I’m also moving back-”

“Back to London, yeah, I know!”

“ _But!_ ” Luke said, triumphantly. “Do you know that I’ll be moved in to Hershel’s flat just in time to attend your wedding?”

Flora gasped. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Luke! I’m so glad you’ll be able to make it after all and that you’ll be here to stay! I’ll make sure to seat you with Hershel at the reception dinner.”

“Sounds good! I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, I need to run, but I’ll make sure to tell Nathan. See you at the airport Monday night, Hershel! I love you!”

“We love you, too. Goodbye, dear!” Hershel said, smiling fondly. He stood to hang up the telephone.

“That was certainly a whirlwind!” Luke laughed. “I should have figured Mum would call her to celebrate; they always like to talk about stuff like that.”

Hershel chuckled as he sat back down next to Luke. “While I wish she had heard the news from us, I’m glad we caught her before she went on her errands.”

“Yeah.”

Hershel cleared his throat. “And… speaking of errands, I believe we need to visit the grocery store for some, er, personal items. If… you know what I mean.”

“Hmm?” Luke tilted his head.

“Well… I imagine we will have need of lubricant eventually and I’d rather have it on hand before we are desperate for it… you know… if we do indeed decide to, at some point, engage in anal intercourse…”

“Got it, Hershel,” Luke said with a grin, wanting to put him out of his misery. He remembered Hershel’s very positive reaction to the prospect that morning.

“Also, to exercise safe sexual practices, we will of course require condoms.”

Luke appeared thoughtful. “We certainly could use condoms, to be on the safe side. Although… Rachel and I always used condoms, and after we broke up my senior year of college, I tested HIV-negative and haven’t had sex ever since. And if you haven’t been with anyone in thirty years…”

“Randall and I _did_ use a condom, the one time we went that far and I know I am negative, as well,” Hershel said. “When you put it that way, I see that unprotected sex would be safe. Especially since, for the foreseeable future, we intend to remain together, being sexually monogamous…” he trailed off.

“Hershel…” Luke said, taking his hands in his. He hadn’t quite detected doubt in Hershel’s voice, but he wanted to comfort him, just in case. “I plan on growing old with you… I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. You and only you.”

Luke kissed his knuckles before reestablishing eye contact. Hershel’s mouth gaped momentarily before smiling, a small blush crossing his face.

“Is this a proposal?” he teased.

“ _Oh_ no, my actual proposal will involve a hot air balloon and fireworks, and the ring will be in a box locked by a 100-picarat puzzle made especially for you,” Luke said, grinning as he gave Hershel a chaste kiss. “Just consider this practice.”

Hershel laughed, low and from his belly. “I look forward to it.”


	16. Chapter 16

The two men cuddled on the couch a while before driving to the nearby grocery store to pick up a bottle of lubricant along with a few snacks they were peckish for. Hershel even splurged on a bottle of wine, which he rarely ever did. Luke smirked in surprise.

“To make things more romantic,” Hershel said with a wink, adding it to their shopping cart.

As they headed down the road back to the beach house, Luke said, “I was just thinking… now I kind of wish we had decided to come in May rather than March. That’s when The Lost Colony outdoor drama starts showing on Roanoke Island, a few miles away from here. I think you would really enjoy it!”

“Perhaps next year,” Hershel said. “That is, if your parents are kind enough to let us use the beach house again.”

“Well, since we can’t do that today, we could still go to the island. It’s really pretty there and even less touristy because it doesn’t have huge beaches.”

“That sounds lovely,” Hershel said, smiling. “Do you want to go there now, since we’re already out and about?”

“Yeah, if you want to! Of course, that’ll mean delaying putting the lube to use…” Luke said cheekily.

“True, but we can have sex whenever we please. I’m only on the Outer Banks for a few more days, you know, and I’d like to see as much as I can of it.”

Luke guffawed. “Alright, fair enough!”

After they dropped off their grocery store purchases at the beach house, they got back into their car and headed towards the large bridge that would lead to Roanoke Island. Manteo, one of the small towns on the island, was one of Luke’s favorite places on the Outer Banks; it had maintained its historical heritage, having been founded hundreds of years ago, but at the same time did not feel stuck in the past. Having arrived in the small downtown area, Luke showed Hershel all his favorite spots, including the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, the _Elizabeth II_ replica ship (it was too early in the year for a tour), and a quiet, tucked-away coffee shop he always visited.

“It may not be as festive as San Grio, but I’ve always liked this place!” Luke said as they strolled down the boardwalk around Roanoke Sound.

“I do appreciate that we aren’t rushing about, trying to find an Azran egg among the popoño merchandise.”

“Yeah, that was nearly a wild goose chase!”

They then drove to the north end of the island to see the Elizabethan Gardens and the remains of Fort Raleigh, which were also drenched with American history. Hershel took it all in, wide-eyed; Luke had always admired his curiosity and desire for knowledge wherever he went.


	17. Chapter 17

The evening wore on and Hershel and Luke stopped by a local burger restaurant for supper before heading home. Upon arriving back at the beach house, the front door had hardly closed before Luke had pressed Hershel against the wall next to the doorway, hands cupping his jaw. Hershel could feel the breath vacate his lungs as their lips met, hard and bruising. Mouths now open, their tongues rolled over each other, teeth clinking occasionally.

“You really do want to try out that lubricant, don’t you?” Hershel gasped, hands gripping Luke’s waist.

“Yes. Now.”

Still locked in an embrace, they staggered into their bedroom, helping each other strip their clothes, and tumbled onto their bed. Luke ended up on top of Hershel, a knee between his legs. That morning, they had explored each other's bodies, gentle and thorough, as if they had all the time in the world; now, they were a flurry of tangled limbs, their breathing already heavy. They kissed hungrily, as if they could never get enough.

Before long, Luke pulled back for air and pressed his forehead to Hershel’s, looking dazed. “You had seemed interested in… um, receiving?”

“I am,” Hershel said with a curt nod. “For this first time, at least, we should take it slow.”

“Yeah.” Luke caught his breath. “What do you recommend we do?”

Hershel thought back to his teenage years, back to what he and Randall had done together. It had felt good, overall, but they had barely discussed it beforehand and had gone too fast. He wanted to be more prepared this time, physically and mentally, to make it better for both of them.

“Before we do anything,” he said, “I need to relax my body as much as possible. Here, I’ll roll over.”

As he did so, Luke briefly got up to fetch the lube from the nightstand next to the bed, placed there earlier within easy reach, packaging already removed. Hershel laid on his stomach, a pillow under his chest; Luke sat next to him on the bed and ran a hand up his thigh.

“Using plenty of lubricant,” Hershel continued, “start out by massaging me down there, starting with one finger and gradually adding more as I begin to open up.”

“Right.”

Lube bottle in tow, he moved to the center of the bed and sat between Hershel’s spread legs. Looking over his shoulder, Hershel saw Luke open the bottle and pour a large glob into his palm before daubing it between his cheeks, starting on the surface before going deeper with his pointer finger. Luke cautiously breached Hershel and was met by natural resistance; the tip of his tongue was visible between his lips, denoting his concentration. Once he was able to press further in, he moved his finger with pleasurable leisureliness. Hershel sighed at the feeling, appreciating the gentle touch of the veterinarian-to-be.

“How does that feel?”

“Perfect,” Hershel purred.

As Luke continued working his inner flesh, his free hand kneaded Hershel’s lower back muscles, encouraging his body to relax even more.

“That’s it, Hershel. I can feel you… oh, you’re so warm… and soft.”

“I… believe I am ready for a second finger.”

Luke readily obliged, his middle finger joining his pointer after another generous portion of lube. Hershel’s thighs twitched a bit, but his anal muscles were no longer repelling the foreign objects. Luke’s free hand moved upwards to rub up and down Hershel’s spine.

“How many fingers…?”

“I think three would be a good goal, hah-ah!” Hershel suddenly gasped at a slightly different twitch of one of Luke’s fingers. “That must have been my prostate,” he said when he could speak again. “You might avoid that for now, or this will end before it’s hardly began.”

Luke began to touch himself, already halfway hard. “Are you ready for the third?” 

“Yeah…” was all Hershel could make out as the ring finger was added.

Luke chuckled, “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say ‘yeah’ instead of ‘yes.’ This must really feel good.” Luke used the three-finger technique the longest so far, working him lovingly in order to increase depth without increasing speed quite yet. “I should probably use lube on myself too, right?” Without pausing his ministrations, he squeezed out more of the viscous liquid and coated his cock in it.

“I’m… we should adjust…” Hershel said finally. “If you lay on your back with me straddling you, it’ll be easier for me to find an angle and speed ideal for penetration.”

“There’s that vocabulary again!”

“Oh, hush.”

Luke eased his lube-slick fingers out and helped the now-boneless Hershel sit up, before laying back onto a pillow. Hershel got on top of Luke’s torso and sat up straight, facing him, with his arse poised above Luke’s cock; he rested his hands on Luke’s chest to hold himself up.

“God, you look incredible like that,” Luke said, looking truly awestruck. He ran a hand up Hershel’s neck before caressing the back of his head. “Now, Hershel, you need to make sure to communicate with me, okay? I have to know if you are comfortable.” Luke exhaled, readying himself. “Alright… you can just raise your arse a bit, and…”

Pushing up with his knees, Hershel followed suit and Luke quickly accommodated him, helping to hold him in place with one arm as he aligned his cock using his other hand.

“You set the speed, love,” Luke said breathlessly, “Whatever feels best.”

“T-that feels… right, I believe.”

He slowly began to sink downwards and Luke slipped inside without much effort. Hershel cried out at the sensation, odd but not unpleasant. Fully seated, he felt almost overwhelmingly full. Once they were both settled, Luke ever so slightly rocked his hips upwards.

“Aah… oh, yes…” Hershel groaned. This seemed to awaken something in him: he pulled up a bit before descending again, allowing Luke even deeper this time. Luke had been watching him move, enthralled, but at this, he threw his head back against the pillow. Before long, Hershel found a good pace as he grew used to riding Luke: easing himself up and down about every five seconds. Luke quickly learned his rhythm, grinding in time to his movements.

“Hmf, ah…!” Luke moaned each time Hershel came down again. “Hershel…” He remembered Hershel’s own cock standing fully erect between them, and took it in hand, synchronizing his strokes to the snapping of their hips; pre-ejaculate already flowed freely. His other hand supported Hershel’s arse.

“O-oh, Luke!” Hershel cried, “Yes… just like that!”

After a minute or so, Luke brushed Hershel’s prostate again and they instantly lost the rhythm they had started with: Hershel jerked, arching his back, which caused Luke to groan at the change in pressure around his cock. Once he regained his bearing, Hershel resumed his rocking.

“Hah… a-are you close?” Luke said shakily, still pumping Hershel’s weeping cock.

In response, Hershel shouted incoherently and tensed up. Fire suddenly pooled in his abdomen. One more thrust caused the world to shatter around him. One… two… three… and after a fourth spurt, semen splattered both of their chests and Luke’s hand. Luke’s orgasm came soon after; clutching Hershel’s arse with both hands now, his pelvis stuttered before shooting upwards. Hershel immediately felt warmth spread through his body as Luke emptied himself with a final cry.

Exhausted, Hershel collapsed sideways onto the bed and Luke, still inside, quickly caught him in his arms and rolled onto their sides with him. Now lying next to each other, Luke carefully disengaged himself, allowing his semen to trickle out. As their panting subsided, he peppered Hershel’s face with kisses, murmuring rambling words of love.

Hershel brushed a hand through Luke’s disheveled hair. “Thank you for indulging me.”

“Oh, hardly,” Luke said, “I really wanted to do that, too, you know. Would you ever want to swap places?”

“Certainly, if you’d be willing.”

“You can bet your sweet booty, I’d be! Probably not tonight, though. I’m knackered.”

“I have been meaning to mention… our libidos and refraction periods are probably going to differ from time to time, given our ages. I will try to keep up with you, but I am no spring chicken. If I ever can’t pleasure you when you need it, I wouldn’t take offence if you ever need to, er, take things into your own hands, so to speak.”

“Well, I appreciate that, Hershel, but I much prefer doing things with you than solo. I’m sure we’ll find a balance in time.”

Hershel rubbed his nose against his. “Hmm. I’m sure we will.”


	18. Chapter 18

They fell asleep soon after, pleasantly fatigued from their exertion. Luke drifted off with his head in the crook of Hershel’s neck, surrounded by the sweet combined smell of Hershel’s cologne and their sweat and ejaculate. Luke had never felt more comfortable or safe than he did then.

Early morning sunlight woke them. Despite the hour, Luke and Hershel both agreed the felt rested, so instead of sleeping in, they decided to head to beach to watch the rest of the sunrise. They quickly put on their pajamas and sandals and packed a breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, a thermos of tea, and two mugs. They draped a large throw blanket over their shoulders and toddled outdoors into the fresh morning air. Bundled in the blanket, they set their things down at the top of a dune, rather than on the beach, for a better view of the horizon. Sitting cross-legged with their knees touching, they ate their breakfast in content silence as the sun made its sleepy way up the sky.

Luke was the first to speak a few minutes later.

“So…” He refilled his cup from the thermos, “are we going to have beach sex, or what?”

Hershel nearly choked on his tea. “What, now?”

“C’mon, Hersh, it’d be fun!” Luke said, elbowing him. “And there’s no one around.”

“True, but this being a public beach, anyone could walk by at any time. Public indecency is not becoming of two gentlemen.”

“Oh, fine. But if we ever become millionaires and own a private island, _then-_ ”

“-Yes, _then_ I may consider it,” Hershel said, chuckling.

Luke set his mug down in the sand and leaned into Hershel’s shoulder, a hand on his stomach.

“Don’t be getting any ideas,” Hershel said, although he couldn’t resist kissing Luke’s cheek.

“I’m not. I’m just remembering our time at the beach the other day, how much I had admired the way you looked shirtless.”

“I confess I was doing the same for you. I couldn’t keep my eyes off you in those board shorts. Teal brings out your eyes so nicely.”

“Oh, I’m sure you were _just_ looking at my eyes!”

“Well, not quite.”

Luke tugged Hershel’s pajama shirt up his chest so he could access the trail of hair below his navel; he ran his fingers through it. “I had imagined kissing you… right here… and the thought that I never would made me sad. Then my mood kind of plummeted from there, and, well, you know the rest.”

“I see. That trip to the beach was rather difficult, wasn’t it? We were both so on edge and that just the tipping point.”

“But _now_ , I can kiss you anywhere I please,” Luke said, grinning, before giving him a playful peck.

“Hmm, yes, you can,” Hershel said, deepening the kiss.

Before they could go much further, Luke leaned back and waggled a finger admonishingly. “Now, now, ‘this a public beach, so anyone could walk by at any time.’ Wouldn’t want to make a scene, now would we-”

“-Let’s take this indoors, then,” Hershel said, getting up from the sand at a surprising speed. He took off towards the beach house.

“Hey, wait!” Luke laughed, gathering their things before running after him.

~~~

“I wish we had thought to pack dressier clothes,” Luke said as he styled his hair in the mirror above the sink. They were in the bathroom, getting ready to go out to dinner.

“As do I, though considering we could have never dreamed that we’d be going on a date at nice restaurant, we would not have had a reason to.”

They sported button up shirts and nicer quality jeans than what they had been wearing most of the week; Luke wore a pair of tan boat shoes, the only closed-toe pair he had brought (the rest being two pair of sandals), and Hershel wore his standard Oxfords.

“Mind if I wear my hat tonight?” Hershel said, applying aftershave to his freshly-shaved neck.

“Not at all! And I think that might help to dress up your outfit a bit. The restaurant we’re going to doesn’t kick people out if they come underdressed, but it’s generally encouraged.”

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the hostess showed them to a table to for two. As they walked through the dining room, they saw it was perhaps only a third of the way full; Luke had mentioned that business wouldn’t pick up for another few weeks. Luke ordered his favorite, the Carolina Ciopinno, a large platter including fettuccini and several kinds of fish. After looking the menu over several times and listening to Luke’s extensive advice, Hershel ended up ordering the North Atlantic Salmon dish. Their waitress brought them a basket of freshly bake bread, cut into hearty slices for them while they waited on their meal.

“Mum, Dad, and I came here every year; it’s always been our favorite.”

“I can see why,” Hershel said, looking around. “The décor is lovely and the food sounds like it will be divine.”

Luke rested his chin on his palm. “So… our first date,” he said, grinning. “What do people talk about on first dates when they know each other as well as we do?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Hershel said, looking thoughtful. “I believe we already know all of each other’s answers to the usual first date questions.”

“Yeah. We could make plans for when I move into your flat, then.” Luke buttered a slice of bread. “First things first, I want to change your kitchen curtains. They’re awful.”

“Already done,” Hershel said, smiling, “Flora got new ones last year. Now they’re a dark green paisley pattern.”

“Ah, bless her!”

“Would you want any pets? I believe my landlord allows them.”

“Actually, probably not. After spending so much time with them on the job, it’ll be nice to come back to an animal-less home!”

“I can imagine. Now that I think about it, there is an animal clinic about 10 minutes from my flat. It would certainly be nice if you could get a job there.”

“Oh, good! I’ll make sure to apply there first.” Luke’s eyes took on a dreamy look. “I can’t wait to live with you, Hershel. I mean, I practically did as a kid, I was with you so much! But to actually put your address down as my own when I fill out papers… answer the telephone saying, ‘Layton-Triton residence, Luke Triton speaking’ – I can’t wait!” Luke blushed suddenly. “I mean… not saying we’ll change our last names to Layton-Triton – it’s kind of sing-songy, isn’t it? – that’s just what we could refer to our home as… if you want…”

Hershel smiled warmly. “I think that sounds lovely.”

Their food came a few minutes later, looking as delicious as the pictures in the menu.

“This is just what I was in the mood for,” Hershel said, trying to not speak with his mouth full.

“Thought so!” Luke grinned. “I still know what you like.” He stole a bite of Hershel’s dish with his fork. “Hmm…” he said, savoring the flavor, “you’ve got great taste!”

Hershel leaned in close for a kiss with a hint of seafood. “I chose you, didn’t I?”

Luke laughed and kissed him back.

They didn’t say much else for the rest of the meal, both preoccupied by the delicious food. Luke, ever the epicure, made the occasional comment about hints of spices he could taste in both their dishes.

Once they were finished, Luke leaned back in his chair, groaning with satisfaction. “Do you think we can afford dessert? There’s an amazing chocolate cake here.”

“ _We?”_ Hershel echoed. “I’ll take care of the check, love.” Luke opened his mouth to argue. “I know you had said you are going to help with groceries and things once you move in with me, but this is our first date. Let me handle it.”

“Well, okay… but I am serious about what I said. I want us to share finances.”

“Certainly.”

They asked their waitress for a single slice of cake – Luke said they were quite big, so they only needed one. It was brought out quickly; their waitress said it had just come out of the oven.

“Oh, my…” Hershel said, taking his first bite. “This _is_ exquisite.”

“Right? I’ve had dreams about this cake!”

They made short work of the piece and were soon out the door, both stuffed. As they headed to the rental car, Luke took Hershel’s hand.

“Thank you for a wonderful ‘first date,’ babe,” he said.

Hershel brought Luke’s hand, interlocked with his fingers, to his lips. “My pleasure.”


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning brought heavy clouds and torrential rain, not uncommon weather for springtime on the Outer Banks. They were startled awake by a loud thunderclap that shook the house. Extracting himself from Hershel’s arms, Luke sat up in bed to look out the window.

“Ugh, this weather is awful, and it’s our last day of vacation, too.”

“That’s alright,” Hershel said, sitting up as well. “I’ve seen all the tourist attractions I was interested in seeing, so there’s not much of a need to go out.”

Luke brightened. “We could have a lazy day in: have breakfast in bed… do _other_ things in bed… watch movies… take naps…”

“That sounds quite agreeable-” Hershel was interrupted by another loud boom of thunder. Over Luke’s shoulder, he saw the digital clock on the nightstand stand flicker off; the hum of the air conditioner went silent. “…It would appear we’ve lost power.”

“Well, that means no movies for the time being.” Smirking, Luke leaned in close and grazed his lips against Hershel’s; they breathed the same air for a moment, causing Hershel too feel a bit dizzy. “Whatever will we find to do?”

“I haven’t the faintest,” Hershel murmured.

Luke shifted and caught his lips, wrapping his arms around Hershel’s neck, before falling back into their pillows. Shifting on top of him, Hershel moaned softly and settled between his thighs. He could feel a soft smile against his neck, Luke’s cock stirring between them. Luke thrusted upwards, but he was stopped short by a small, pained moan.

“Ooh, I’m still a bit sore from last night.”

“Me, too,” Hershel said, mouthing his neck. “Let’s do something less strenuous.”

Hershel kissed him slowly while Luke traced patterns on his back, humming contentedly. He swallowed, deepening the kiss as he undulated his hips in a lazy circle, his breath catching as Luke arced instinctively against him. Parting their lips briefly, Luke’s legs wrapped around his torso, ankles locking against his arse, and the two men began to slowly rock into each other. The head of Luke’s cock soon escaped his pajama trousers to rub against his stomach. Their erections aligned easily; Luke groaned at the contact. Hershel watched Luke’s face as they moved together: _beautiful_ , he thought, _he’s so beautiful_. His eyes closed, Luke’s golden lashes were thick on his cheek, his mouth parted as soft cries escaped his lips with each of their movements. It was not long before Luke gave a louder moan, spilling against their stomachs, warm and wet. Hershel kissed him deeply, cupping his face and capturing his tongue.

When they pulled away for air, Luke looked downwards. “You’re still hard.”

“I’m fine, Lu-”

Before he could finish, however, Luke sat up, taking Hershel with him, and with a swift roll, he reversed their positions. He moved down the bed and started to lap at Hershel’s cock.

“A-ah…” Hershel tilted his head back. “What happened to ‘less strenuous’?”

“This won’t be strenuous.”

Luke didn’t have much experience with fellatio yet, but he was a fast learner. Hershel recognized some techniques he had performed on Luke the day before. Luke hummed and swirled his tongue around the foreskin before taking him as deeply as he could. Hershel was already so close to the edge, Luke didn’t need to continue for much longer before Hershel’s whole body tightened up and clenched down. With a low moan, Hershel saw stars. Luke swallowed reflexively, drinking him clean, and the feeling of suction only drew more streams from Hershel.

After pulling off, Luke moved up Hershel’s body, leaving a trail of kisses as he went, before he ended up at his mouth. Hershel felt a bit dazed, but in the best way. A fresh bout of rain descended on the roof and the house creaked with wind; the storm was not going away any time soon.

“Hmm,” Hershel groaned, nibbling at Luke’s lower lip, “Now I really don’t want to get out of bed.”

 Luke got off of him and cuddled to his side. “Well, fortunately for you, neither do I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this came a bit late in the day (Monday, 10 pm EST). As always, I hope you enjoyed!


	20. Chapter 20

They lied there in bed and would have cuddled indefinitely, until Luke’s stomach gave a loud growl.

“That extravagant dinner from last night must be wearing off,” Hershel said, patting Luke’s belly affectionately.

Luke looked over his shoulder at the digital clock, which was still off. “Power’s not back yet. The food in the fridge should still be fine, though.”

As the stove was run by gas, it turned on just fine, so the two men made a breakfast of French toast and sausage links. As Luke had suggested earlier, they ate breakfast in bed, placing their plates carefully in their laps so keep from making a mess.

“Oh, Hershel,” Luke said after a large swallow, “I’ve been meaning to say, please let me know if and when you need some time by yourself. We’ve been together nearly constantly for the last few days and you haven’t had much time to be alone and recharge.”

Hershel took a sip of tea before placing his cup on the bedside table. “I may take you up on that later, but really, being with you doesn’t drain my energy like other socializing does.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” Luke said as they continued eating. “I just didn’t want you to think you might offend me by asking for some alone time.”

“Oh, no, not at all. It’s very considerate of you, though, Luke, to consider my introverted needs.”

“Well, yeah. Considering that you didn’t expect this vacation to turn out the way it did – it’s pretty much like a honeymoon, now! – you probably thought you would have more alone time.”

“That’s true: there was no way we could have anticipated or planned this, but I am grateful beyond words for how everything worked out.”

“Me, too!”

Once they had finished eating, Hershel said, “I’ll take our plates to the kitchen.”

Luke stacked their plates and silverware before handing them to Hershel and watched as he left their bedroom. He appreciated the sight of his lover’s pajama-clad backside, of course, but more than that, his heart nearly burst with love. He had always thought that description sounded cliché and melodramatic – one’s heart couldn’t literally burst from love, after all – but he understood it now: that overwhelming sense of adoration for another person. Mixed with this feeling was one of nervous, yet joyous anticipation. Luke chewed his lip, thinking, _Now, just to set my big surprise in motion…_

He was going to need Flora’s help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had the flu for the last few days, so this chapter turned out a bit shorter than usual.


	21. Chapter 21

“So, Luke… what was your first impression of me?”

They had moved to the kitchen table for a late lunch and had set up camp there: teacups, crumbs, puzzle books, and newspaper pages were spread liberally across the tabletop; the storm outside continued to rage. At Hershel’s question, Luke looked up from the autobiography he was reading in surprise.

“When I came to Misthallery to investigate the specter, of course,” Hershel said, clarifying. “Not when you were an infant; I met you the day after you were born, after all.”

Luke puffed out his lips. “I mean… it was _15_ years ago, and I’m only 24! It’s hard to remember, but… I guess the first thing I noticed was your hat, and your kind smile. I thought you seemed nice enough – for an adult – and I appreciated that you, and Emmy, too, didn’t talk down to me.” He looked down in thought. “I had been really nervous to contact you in the first place and I wasn’t actually expecting you to come to town, much less ask for my opinion and involve me in the investigation. But when you complimented my records on the specter and said they were going to be useful, that sealed the deal: I knew you were someone I could trust, because you valued and respected me regardless of my age. And you treated Ariana, Tony, and the Black Ravens the same way and that stood out to me, too. You were that way with everyone you met, always offering your help wherever you could, and you called it being a gentleman… and I knew I wanted to be one, too.”

“So you _do_ remember all the way back then!”

“Well, I’m more or less remembering my journal entries. I… wrote rather a lot about you, even before my crush began,” Luke said, grinning sheepishly.

“I see,” Hershel said, smiling back. “Given how much time we spent together, that makes sense! When Emmy and I arrived at your bedroom that day, my first impression of you was, of course, that clever puzzle you had laid out for us which just straddled the line between insolence and ingenuity.”

Luke beamed. “It _was_ pretty good, wasn’t it?”

“Then when I saw you, I was struck by how much you looked like your father!”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes, you have his eyes and nose.”

“Yeah, I guess it was more obvious back then. Have you seen his primary school photos? I stumbled across them one time and thought they were photos of me!”

“My, I’ll have to see them the next time I’m at your parents’ house!”

“What was the rest of your first impression of me?” Luke put his elbows on the table, interlaced his fingers, rested his chin on top of his knuckles, and batted his eyelashes playfully.

“I noticed you were acting quite headstrong…”

“ _That_ was the next thing you noticed?”

“Well, yes! Your behavior was quite different from how I remembered you being as a toddler: compliant and mannerly, relative to your age. Headstrong and standoffish. But when I came to understand the whole situation – how afraid and alone you felt, and why – I could see that you had good reason. I wasn’t surprised in the least that your natural intelligence had only grown with you; as you mentioned, your skills of observation impressed me greatly and were instrumental in getting to the bottom of what was going on. I will say, though, I was quite dumbfounded when you requested- no, _demanded_ to become my apprentice; I had gained an assistant and an apprentice in the course of a few days and wasn’t quite sure why. Even so, I came to appreciate the company.”

“That’s good, since we were rarely apart! That reminds me: we should plan on visiting Emmy when she gets back to England from her backpacking trip; the last I heard from her, she was in Germany. We should surprise her by just randomly holding hands or something!”

As if practicing, Hershel took his hand across the table. “Sounds like a plan.”

Chuckling at the idea, Luke resumed his reading. Hershel returned his attention to the sliding block puzzle he had spent the last ten minutes on; he was sure he had solved it years before, but he couldn’t remember the exact solution. He thoughtfully stroked Luke’s thumb with his own.

Two minutes later, he was about to cave and ask Luke for a hint – the younger man had been the one to bring up the puzzle in question in the first place – when he noticed the page of the book Luke was reading. There was a large, underlined number 9 midway down the page, above two paragraphs, indicating the beginning of a new chapter. He had happened to notice that page just before he had started the conversation about their first impressions. And yet two minutes after that conversation had ended and Luke had continued reading, he had not changed the page. He looked at Luke’s eyes; they did not appear to be reading, but staring.

“…Something on your mind, love?” he said.

Luke started and looked up. “W-what?”

“You’ve been at the beginning of Chapter 9 of that book for quite some time now.”

“Oh!” Luke said, blushing a bit, “I must have zoned out!”

“Alright, just making sure.”

It wasn’t long before Hershel solved the puzzle; he was embarrassed he hadn’t seen the solution earlier. They continued to chat on and off as they read, amicable as always, but Luke still appeared distracted. _Perhaps he’s just sad about leaving tomorrow,_ Hershel thought, _I know I am._

~~~

“Flora? Hey, it’s Luke. Are you busy? I can’t say too much right now; Hershel’s in the bathroom, that’s why I’m whispering. So, you’re going to…? Great! I just wanted to double check that it would be possible. And you’re sure it’s no hassle? I know how busy you and Nate are. Alright… I’m really glad this is going to work out! Okay, talk to you soon! Bye!”


	22. Chapter 22

Thunder grumbled in the distance and with it, flashes of lightning illuminated their candlelit bedroom. Rain sloshed against the window, as if trying to come in.

Hershel was lying on top of Luke with the younger man’s arse and lower back poised upwards towards his pelvis. Flushed all over and eyes blazing, Luke appeared to be painfully hard, having been aroused from the thorough anal preparation, and Hershel was eager to relieve him.

“Are you ready?”

Luke managed a nod. “Hmm-mm.”

Hershel sat back on his knees and brought Luke’s legs up to rest them on his thighs for a better position. Propping his elbows against the mattress on either side of Luke’s pillow, he leaned in for a soft kiss. Luke encircled his arms around his neck, holding him close; his erection rubbed against Hershel’s own well-lubricated cock.

Reaching down, Hershel aligned himself at Luke’s entrance and, with a deep exhale – slowly, carefully – he eased inside. Luke moaned into the kiss before tilting his head back against his pillow; Hershel trailed his lips along his chin before nibbling the tender flesh of his neck.

“Ah, keep going, Hersh,” Luke murmured, “Oh, _oh_ …! ‘M so full…”

Hershel obliged, pressing further and further into Luke’s tight heat. The feeling was indescribable, nothing like he could have imagined; his cock may as well have been wrapped in velvet.

Once Luke completely accommodated him, Hershel said, “I’m going to start moving now, alright?”

“ _Please,_ ” Luke sounded needy.

Hershel began to pump in and out, slowly at first before gaining speed. Luke matched his movements, his muscles contracting and relaxing exquisitely around Hershel. Fingers digging into Hershel’s hair, he bit back another moan.

“Let me hear you, love,” Hershel whispered into his ear. “There’s no one around. Let me hear you scream.”

With another cant of Hershel’s hips, Luke made a strangled noise before crying out, louder than he had ever had in bed.

“Oh, Hershel…!” he keened. “Hmf, ahh- _ah!_ Oh, God, _yes_ , Hershel! D-don’t stop…! Ah!” From there, his words dissolved into nonsensical babbling, but it still sounded like music to Hershel’s ears.  

Supporting himself on his forearms, Hershel leaned in closer so that Luke’s throbbing cock rubbed between their stomachs each time he shifted. Hershel adjusted his angle slightly, causing Luke’s hands to fly down Hershel’s back, holding him in a vice-like grip; Hershel figured he had found Luke’s prostate, so he repeated what he had just done, eliciting even more breathy cries.

Only a few more moments of this passed before Luke inhaled sharply and arched his back, burying Hershel even deeper. Hershel felt Luke’s orgasm build, his body stuttering and quaking beneath him and suddenly, both their abdomens were painted with his essence. Before he knew it, Hershel’s own climax came crashing down on him, as well; with one more thrust, he trembled intensely, releasing his load deep inside of Luke. Moans and breathless versions of each other’s names tumbled out of their lips in unison as they rode out their high together.

Going limp, Hershel draped himself across Luke’s heaving chest before rolling off him.

“That was amazing, Hershel,” Luke said, once he had caught his breath. He leaned over for a kiss before letting his head fall back against his pillow. Hershel turned onto his side and Luke did the same, tangling their legs together, unmindful of the sticky mess between them.

“I’m going to miss this bed. Do you think your parents would mind if we took it?”

“Mmph, speaking of,” Luke muttered into Hershel’s neck, “We need to wash these sheets before we leave.”

“Yes, we do. But not now.” Wrapped in a tight embrace, thoroughly and happily drained, the two men soon fell asleep. Outside, the storm quieted, as if in reverence for their last night together in the beach house.

~~~

“So… two months.”

“Two months,” Luke confirmed.

They were in the departure lounge of the Raleigh-Durham Airport. As he was not scheduled to depart for another hour after Hershel, Luke had obtained a gate pass so that they could wait together at Hershel’s gate. They had been there for two hours after Hershel had checked in, savoring their last moments together, but now Hershel’s departure time was fast approaching. Looking at the clock on the wall for what felt like the thousandth time, they stood up to stretch their legs.

Hershel heaved a shaky sigh. “We went four _years_ without seeing each other at all – about fifty months. Surely two months will be a breeze, then…?” He didn’t sound at all convinced of his own words.

“It’s not going to be a walk in the park…” Luke said, cupping Hershel’s face, “but just think: the next time we’re together, it’ll be for good. We won’t have to say goodbye again after that.”

“Quite right…” He gave a forced smile before a tear streamed down his face.

“Now Hershel,” Luke said, “you know a gentleman _never_ makes a scene in public.” With a bittersweet grin, he used his thumb to wipe away the tear.

Hershel chuckled at hearing his own words repeated to him and held Luke’s hand at his cheek. “Call me when you arrive home, or else I’ll worry. I don’t care what time it is, please call.”

“Of course.”

“Flight 892 is now boarding,” came a voice over the intercom. “All passengers, please proceed to Gate B.”

“Well, that’s me.” Hershel adjusted his top hat, collecting himself.

Luke handed him his carryon bag and took his other hand in his own. Hershel kissed him briefly; Luke could feel his reluctance to pull away, but there was no time for anything more.

“I love you,” Hershel said, smiling more genuinely now.

“I love you, too. I’ll see you soon, okay?” Luke’s squeezed his hand, before letting it go and making a shooing motion with his hands. “Now get going!”

Hershel nodded and walked off, without a backward glance. Luke smiled to himself as he watched Hershel head towards the gate, before checking his watch, gathering his luggage, and taking off in a jog. He had his own flight to catch.

~~~

Despite his fatigue – both physical and emotional – Hershel couldn’t sleep at all during the 9-hour flight. He dozed for perhaps 15 minutes at one point, but it wasn’t much. All he could think about was Luke, and how much he missed him. Staring out the window, he chided himself, _you’re acting like a lovesick teenager. It’s just two months apart! The time will fly by._ These thoughts were not much consolation.

Fortunately, the historical mystery novel he had started reading a few days previous _(the day Luke and I got together…_ he automatically thought) turned out better than he had expected and it helped to distract him for an hour or so. The writing was not especially memorable, so he skimmed it for the highlights and actually found himself surprised by the outcome of the mystery. The novel, with all its flaws, did provide a welcome distraction, however short-lived.

At long last, the plane landed. The sun had set long ago over London; the city buzzed slightly less vivaciously at 3 a.m. than it did during the day. Flora picked up him up from the airport and he greeted her warmly, though even Hershel could hear the lack of enthusiasm in his own voice.

“You look _exhausted_ , Hershel,” she said, pulling away from their hug. “It’s a 45-minute drive to your flat; sleep in the car, I insist. You can tell me all your vacation stories later.”

Flora dropped him off at their flat around 4 that morning before leaving for her 6:30 a.m. shift at the orphanage. Hershel slept until noon and even after waking, he stayed in bed. He didn’t have any plans for the day, so he was able to recover from his flight and readjust to the time zone, although he almost wished he had a day full of lectures and meetings, just to have something to do and to take his thoughts off of Luke. He planned on going to his office the next day and get some work done, hopefully without any interruptions, as most of the other Gressenheller faculty would not come near the building during Easter Break unless they absolutely had to.

Hershel was finally roused from bed by the telephone ringing around 2 that afternoon.

“Hello?” His voice was hoarse.

“Hey, Hershel,” Flora said. “I’m just now getting off work. I forgot to mention this morning that Nathan and I decided to go away this weekend, to take a break from work and planning the wedding. I’m already packed for the trip, so we’re about to leave. I know you just got home from your trip, but we’ll catch up next week, I promise!”

“Enjoy your time together! And I am still jet-lagged, so I wouldn’t have been much fun to be around, anyway.”

“Oh, by the way, a friend is coming around to drop something off at the flat in about 10 minutes; it’s kind of time sensitive. Will you be there?”

“Oh, yes,” he said through a yawn, “I’m not leaving the flat today.”

“Great! I told him the address, so you don’t need go outside to meet him or anything. Get plenty of rest this weekend, and I’ll see you later!”

“Sounds good, my dear. I love you.”

“Love you, too! Bye!”

Hershel set down the telephone and brewed a cup of tea to drink while he waited the 10 minutes for Flora’s friend to stop by. He didn’t feel up to entertaining company, but fortunately, it seemed like it would be a quick delivery and the friend would soon be on his way.

Precisely 10 minutes later (although Hershel was not aware of this precision), there was the unmistakable sound of a large, roaring engine and a loud, heavy-sounding _bang_ above Hershel’s ceiling. His flat was on the top floor, so he would occasionally hear activity on the flat complex’s rooftop, but he had never heard anything like this before. Jumping to his feet, he ran to the living room window, opened it, and stuck his head outside to see what was on the roof. He thought this would be in vain, as he doubted he would have the right angle to view the rooftop, but, as he soon saw, the object was big enough to be seen at most _any_ angle, in all directions. Landed on top of his flat’s rooftop was the Bostonius.

His jaw dropped open at the sight of the orange airship. Through the cockpit window, he saw Desmond Sycamore at the controls. Without the mask of his alter ego on his face, his brother looked composed as ever, though a small smirk played on his lips; when they made eye contact, Desmond put a hand to his temple and saluted. Hershel blinked several times and felt almost sure his sleep-deprived mind was hallucinating. _What is he doing here?_ Hershel thought, mind spinning. _He hasn’t visited in years_ , _why on earth-_ Then there came more thumps from above and the sound of something bulky being pushed on wheels across the rooftop, apparently having been transferred from the Bostonius’ cargo hold.

_Just what is going on up there?!_

But before Hershel could bewilderedly wonder any further, the Bostonius’ engines roared once again, causing it to rise from the rooftop and hover over the street outside Hershel’s flat, pausing in midair as if treading water. A rope ladder was thrown down from the airship; Hershel quickly ducked his head back inside as it fell past his window. He heard someone climbing down the side of his building. _Who could that be? Desmond hadn’t left the cockpit before the Bostonius took off, so…_

A body came into view: feet first, then a torso, then hands tightly gripping each rung as the person descended the ladder. Finally, a face came into view at the window. A most familiar, beloved face.

“Hey, Hershel.” Luke’s smile shown as brightly as the sun. “I told you I would see you soon, didn’t I?”


	23. Chapter 23

In Luke’s eyes, Hershel’s face of surprise surpassed his past reactions to all the wonders they had seen on their travels together. Joyful astonishment, is what he would call it.

“Luke?!” Hershel cried, “What on earth is going on?”

Luke put a foot onto the open window sill. “Mind if I come in?”

“…Not at all,” Hershel said, taking Luke’s hand. He helped him step down into the room before closing the window. Almost immediately, the rope ladder was drawn upwards and the Bostonius took off over the London skyline.

“Miss me?” Luke said, smoothing his wind-swept hair with a mischievous grin.

“Quite a lot, actually, but not nearly for as long as I was anticipating. What happened to the two months left of your residency?”

“I’ll explain everything, but first, let’s sit down.” Luke gently grabbed Hershel’s arm and led them to the living room couch. “You look like you’re about to keel over.”

“I probably am,” Hershel said, a smile finally coming to his lips.

“Where to start…?” Luke wondered aloud. “Well, like you, I _really_ wasn’t looking forward to spending those two months apart. But then I realized I could finish the last two months of my veterinary residency in London just as well as I could in New York. So, while we are the beach house, I made some secret phone calls – while you were sleeping, or in the shower. My first telephone call was to my supervisor to ensure that transferring to a London clinic was possible, and she said it was, and that she has veterinary friends around here and would give me a great recommendation. Then I called Flora and told her my whole plan, and she was eager to help! I asked if it would be possible for her to go out of town for the weekend, so that I could move in and we could both get some rest after all of our travel. My next phone call was to my parents, to tell them what I was planning. I asked if they would go to my apartment and pack it all up; I don’t have very much furniture, so it didn’t take too long. That was the sound you probably heard from above; Desmond had his servant unload a big crate of all my belongings onto your roof, so we’ll need to go get it later and unpack-”

“Wait, wait, how did you contact Desmond?”

“Flora gave me his number! I explained the situation and asked him if he could give me a lift to New York, and then to London, in the Bostonius. He had some other business to attend to today, which is why he didn’t stay around for long, but he said it was the least he could do for his baby brother!”

Hershel raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Well, he didn’t say it _quite_ like that, but you get the idea. Once I said goodbye to you at your gate, I immediately canceled my return plane ticket, since I wouldn’t be needing it after all. As I waited for Desmond to pick me up from the airport, I called Flora again and asked her to make sure that you would be in your flat at just the right time. I gave her the whole ‘a friend of mine is going to drop off something in 10 minutes’ story to tell you, which was more or less the truth. So then Desmond picked me up in the Bostonius at the airport – he actually contacted air traffic controls and they had him land on the runway! –  I picked up my stuff in New York, said goodbye to my parents, and arrived in London, all in about 9 hours!”

 “…My goodness,” Hershel said, staring off into the distance. He seemed speechless.

Luke felt a pit of worry in his stomach. “…You’re not angry, are you? I just couldn’t stand to be apart any longer and thought it might be fun to surprise you-”

Hershel interrupted him with a searing kiss, which Luke immediately melted into.

“How could I be angry with you?” Hershel held his face in both hands. “I honestly didn’t know how I was going to make it those two months apart from you, and now I’ll never have to know. This is the most wondrous surprise anyone has ever done for me.”

“I’m glad to hear that, but… it’s not over yet,” Luke said. Getting up from the couch, his stomach fluttered violently and he could feel the blood pounding in his ears as he spoke: “As I was waiting for Desmond to pick me up, I, um… I stopped by a jewelry store in the airport…”

“What…?”

Standing in front of Hershel, Luke took his hands. “I wasn’t able to get fireworks, _but_ I figured the Bostonius could fill the role of the hot air balloon, and I’ll come up with that 100-picarat puzzle for you when I’m not so exhausted…” Luke bent down on one knee. “but frankly, I can’t wait any longer.”

Luke pulled a silver ring out of his pocket; etched into the inside was the shape of two jigsaw puzzle pieces, fitted together as one. He had bought a matching one for himself. When his eyes met Hershel’s, Luke could see that he looked dumbstruck. Tears suddenly hit him; he instantly forgot the detailed, romantic speech he had prepared. But sometimes, simplicity was best.

“I love you, Hershel Layton. I love you with all my heart, and I look forward to embarking on this new adventure with you, for the rest of our lives… if you’ll have me?”

Luke didn’t exactly hear the word “yes,” but he took the exuberant kiss that followed as a good sign.

~~~

Hershel and Luke were married six months later; they lengthened their engagement so as to not overshadow Flora’s upcoming wedding. They had originally planned on it being a small ceremony, but when they realized how many friends they had accumulated over their travels together, they agreed that their guest list was going to be quite long.

It was a grand reunion: the whole Triton family; Flora and Nathan; Desmond; Emmy and her girlfriend Sarah; Andrew Schrader, Dean Delmona, many other Gressenheller faculty members, a good majority of Hershel’s students, both past and present, and Luke’s coworkers and loyal patients (and their human owners) from his veterinary clinic; Inspector and Mrs. Chelmey; Inspector Grosky; Paul; Ariana Barde, Tony Barde, the Black Ravens, and their spouses; Oswald Whistler, Janice Quatlane and her husband, Eric, and Nina and her parents; the Anderson family; Randall and Angela Ascot and their two children; Henry Ledore and his husband Marshall; Clive Dove (who was on parole and doing well); Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey; and several residents of St. Mystere and Labyrinthia.

Clark, Randall, Phoenix, Emmy, Flora, and Maya were the groomsmen and women. Paul made some modifications to the Bostonius so that Desmond could sky-write “Hershel + Luke” in the clouds above the ceremony; Janice sang a beautiful original piece. There wasn’t a dry eye among the gathered friends.

Due to their busy schedules, Hershel and Luke only had a weekend-long honeymoon, but they enjoyed it immensely, nonetheless. They spent it in Misthallery, where they had begun their friendship, during their first adventure together of many, all those years ago. Hundreds of more mysteries awaited them in the future, taking them all over the world and meeting even more friends along the way; they could never have imagined all the amazing things they would do together. But that weekend, that moment in time, they knew one thing for certain: they loved each other, and that they were embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t thank you all enough for reading and leaving comments! Your feedback and reactions have been so enjoyable and helpful as I made my way through this sappy wish-fulfillment of a fic, haha!
> 
> It has been so much fun writing this that I have begun planning a sequel. The boys will be going on their first case as a couple! As it is going to be a case fic, I think it’s going to take a bit longer to write, since it will involve more planning. I hope to have the first chapter written by April and have weekly updates (or maybe twice a week, if I’m able). Even if you are already subscribed to "I’ve Never Felt So At Home," make sure to subscribe to my account to get updates on this upcoming fic. If you don’t have an Archive of Our Own account, just keep your eye on the Hershel Layton/Luke Triton tag! :) 
> 
> Thanks again for sticking around with me, and I’ll be back soon!


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